Mike Salem is a UK Country Associate for the Consumer Choice Center (CCC), focusing on economy, technology, and lifestyle.

Growing up, I imagined a future of flying cars, popularised by The Jetsons. Driving through London this past weekend, I didn’t quite see that vision realised, but I did see something that felt like a step toward it: a car from Waymo.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., operates fully autonomous “robotaxis” across several cities in the United States. These vehicles, which require no human driver, are already transporting passengers daily. Expansion plans are underway for cities such as Tokyo and London, with trials currently underway for a plan to launch in September.

This is not unfamiliar territory for policymakers. The UK has already begun preparing for such a future through the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, which is expected to come into force in 2026. Crucially, the Act shifts legal responsibility away from the individual driver and onto so-called “Authorised Self-Driving Entities” (ASDEs), in practice, the companies behind the technology. It is a significant philosophical and legal shift: from personal responsibility at the wheel to corporate accountability behind the code.

In London, however, the challenge is not simply legislative. The introduction of fully driverless passenger services would require approval and coordination with Transport for London, as well as cooperation from borough councils. And this is where the conversation becomes more complex.

I am instinctively pro-innovation. New technologies, when responsibly deployed, have the potential to improve daily life, and autonomous vehicles are no exception. Anyone who has spent time driving traffic will recognise the inefficiencies of human driving and how driving standards have become worse in recent times: sudden braking, tailgating, poor lane discipline, and the all-too-familiar stop-start congestion.

Autonomous vehicles promise to address some of these issues through what engineers sometimes call the “ghost effect”. In simple terms, traffic jams often emerge without any obvious cause, triggered by small human errors, like over-braking or hesitation, which ripple backwards through traffic. Self-driving systems, by contrast, maintain consistent speeds, smooth braking, and safe distances. The result is not just a more comfortable journey, but potentially a more efficient road network overall.

Yet for all the promise, there are practical questions, many of which will fall squarely on local authorities.

Take parking. If autonomous vehicles become widespread, demand for traditional parking spaces could change dramatically. Vehicles may not need to park in central locations at all, instead circulating or relocating themselves to outer areas. This raises questions about how borough councils manage kerb space, residential parking permits, and existing revenue streams tied to parking.

Charging infrastructure presents another challenge. If these vehicles are electric, as many are expected to be, London will need a significant expansion of charging points. Local councils, already under financial pressure, will have to decide whether they are equipped to deliver this infrastructure themselves or whether it should be driven by private providers.

There is also the question of readiness. Many councils and boroughs are still grappling with basic transport issues: road maintenance, congestion, and air quality targets. Integrating autonomous vehicles into this already complex system will require not just funding, but expertise and coordination across multiple levels of government.

None of this is to argue against adoption. Rather, it is to recognise that innovation does not exist in a vacuum. Technologies like Waymo may be developed in Silicon Valley, but their success, or failure, will ultimately be determined on the streets of places like London. The benefits: safer roads, reduced congestion, greater mobility, are real and worth pursuing. But it does suggest that the current model, in which central government legislates while local authorities are left to implement, may not be sufficient.

The question, then, is not whether autonomous vehicles are coming. It is whether our institutions, particularly at the local level, are ready when they arrive.

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