London's Sadiq Khan urges cap on robotaxis amid driverless licensing
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is calling for a limit on the number of robotaxis hitting city streets, just as the UK government gets ready to allow fully driverless vehicles to operate in the capital.
He's worried that too many autonomous taxis could mean more traffic jams and fewer jobs for real drivers.
This push comes right after Freenow by Lyft started testing Chinese-made robotaxis in London, hoping to launch fully driverless Baidu robotaxis as early as next year under a national licensing scheme.
Sadiq Khan wants TfL robotaxi oversight
Khan says current rules aren't enough: he wants Transport for London, or TfL, to have more say over how these robotaxis actually operate, not just whether they're allowed.
Meanwhile, Freenow by Lyft is working with TfL to iron out issues like following traffic laws and plans to open a special depot for these cars.
The company says this could help create new roles for taxi drivers who might be affected by the shift to self-driving rides.