The UK government is accelerating efforts to implement the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act 2024, with new regulations designed to enable driverless passenger services on public roads from spring 2026.
In a statement to parliament, UK transport minister Lilian Greenwood MP confirmed that the government will introduce regulations for automated passenger services (APS) following a consultation later this summer.
The regulations are designed to establish a dedicated permitting regime for services operating without a human driver or safety operator.
Greenwood said the framework was necessary to “provide businesses with the regulatory confidence to invest in testing and deploying these innovative services on our streets”, adding that the new regime would help “reinforce the UK’s position among the world leaders in tech deployment”.
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The APS regime will also address the limitations of current taxi, private hire and public service vehicle legislation when applied to autonomous passenger services. According to Greenwood, it will unlock commercial pilots of fare-paying AV services by next year.
The announcement forms part of the government’s wider 23-point Transport Artificial Intelligence Action Plan, which aims to align the transport sector with national AI priorities to boost growth and improve user experience. Greenwood said the plan “sets out how the government is using AI to improve transport for everyone in the UK”.
Also launched this week were two supporting measures: a 12-week consultation on protecting marketing terms such as “self-driving” to apply only to authorised AVs, and a call for evidence on new statutory safety principles.
Greenwood stressed that “public confidence in the safety of these vehicles will be essential to take advantage of the huge economic opportunities they will present”.
Achievements and innovations in autonomous vehicles will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
