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ADCU demands clarity from DfT and TfL over ‘human safety drivers’ as autonomous taxis launch in London
- Perry Richardson
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The App Drivers’ and Couriers’ Union (ADCU) has called for urgent answers about the people supervising autonomous taxis after the vehicles began carrying passengers in London for the first time.
The union is seeking information from platform operators, the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) about the status of the “human safety drivers” travelling inside the vehicles during the rollout.
ADCU wants operators and regulators to disclose how the safety drivers were recruited, what qualifications they hold and whether they are licensed as private hire drivers. It is also seeking an explanation of where liability would sit if a vehicle were involved in a collision or a passenger became unwell.
The union said it had raised concerns about the introduction of autonomous passenger vehicles on several occasions, including when it gave evidence to the London Assembly Transport Committee in June. It maintains that the status and responsibilities of onboard safety personnel remain unresolved.
Cristina-Georgiana Ioanitescu, General Secretary of ADCU, said: “Londoners are being asked to trust a system without being given basic answers about who is responsible when something goes wrong. We have been asking these questions for months. If there is a collision, if a passenger becomes ill, or if a safety-critical decision has to be made, the public has a right to know exactly where liability sits and what status these so-called human safety drivers actually have.”
Ioanitescu said TfL’s existing licensing regime requires private hire drivers to complete medical, safeguarding and regulatory checks before carrying passengers. ADCU is asking whether comparable requirements apply to personnel expected to intervene during an autonomous journey.
She added: “So the obvious question is: has that same standard been applied here? If the person sitting in the vehicle is meant to intervene in a safety-critical situation, or deal with a passenger emergency, Londoners need to know whether they have gone through the same licensing and vetting process as every other private hire driver in this city. If not, why not?”
ADCU has advised Londoners not to use the vehicles until the requested information is published. “The platform companies, the Department for Transport and TfL need to answer these questions today. Until they do, we would not advise anyone to set foot in a driverless taxi,” Ioanitescu said.
