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London Uber drivers confront TfL over driverless cars at black-tie transport dinner amid fears for 100,000 jobs
Private hire drivers protested outside Transport for London’s annual Transport Dinner at Guildhall, demanding Sadiq Khan halt the introduction of autonomous taxis over concerns about employment, congestion and the future of London’s transport network.
London private hire drivers staged a protest outside Transport for London’s (TfL) annual Transport Dinner on Thursday 15 October, calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan and TfL Commissioner Andy Lord to stop the planned rollout of driverless cars in the capital.
Members of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Private Hire Drivers branch gathered outside the black-tie event at Guildhall in the City of London, where they challenged the introduction of autonomous vehicles and warned of the potential consequences for thousands of professional drivers.
The demonstration saw drivers speak directly with attendees and distribute leaflets raising concerns about the future of London’s approximately 100,000 private hire driving jobs. Protesters also questioned whether driverless taxi services would be compatible with the Mayor’s existing transport objectives, particularly those covering congestion, road safety and public transport use.
The protest follows growing concern among trade unions about the proposed introduction of commercial autonomous passenger services in London, including technology being developed by companies such as Google’s parent company Alphabet-owned Waymo.
The IWGB argues that widespread adoption of driverless taxis could threaten the livelihoods of drivers who depend on private hire work as their primary source of income.
The union’s concerns come during the same week as the publication of the London Assembly Transport Committee’s report, Who’s Driving the Future of Autonomous Transport?, which examined the potential implications of autonomous vehicles for employment, accessibility and London’s wider transport strategy.
According to the union, the report raises significant questions about the potential displacement of professional drivers and whether sufficient alternative employment or retraining opportunities would be available to workers affected by automation.
The IWGB has warned that as many as 100,000 private hire jobs could be threatened. That figure represents the scale of employment potentially exposed to technological change rather than a confirmed forecast of redundancies.
The union also argues that autonomous taxi services could undermine existing objectives to reduce private car use, encourage public transport journeys and tackle congestion.
The IWGB is demanding that TfL use its existing regulatory powers to prevent the introduction of driverless taxi services, arguing that employment protection and the wider public interest should take priority when determining whether the technology can operate commercially.
The union pointed to New York City as an example of a different regulatory approach, citing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s position on autonomous vehicles. However, the extent to which TfL could independently prevent deployment would depend on the applicable legislation and the regulatory framework governing automated passenger services.
Gholomreza ‘Rez’ Kamyabi, an Uber driver and Vice Chair of the IWGB Private Hire Drivers union, said: “We took action against today against Sadiq Khan because he needed to come face-to-face with just a few of the 100,000 people whose lives will be torn apart by the unleashing of driverless cars in London, which will benefit no one but tech bro billionaires. These glitzy parties are a world away from the fear and anxiety drivers are filled with.”
Alex Marshall, IWGB President, said: “We were left with no option but to crash Sadiq Khan and TfL’s party as they ignore the tens of thousands of drivers raising the alarm about the threat of driverless cars.
“The London Transport Assembly’s report shows TfL is under the thumb of multinational tech companies. But Waymo and their ilk represent a social and economic crisis crashing straight into ordinary Londoners. The tech billionaires’ gain comes at our expense.
“TfL must listen to Londoners’ needs, follow New York’ s example, and stop driverless cars in our city.”
