Opinion writer William Sitwell says London’s driverless taxi trials risk losing the conversation that defines a traditional black-cab ride.
Writing for Yahoo Lifestyle, he argues the Knowledge-trained cabbie’s chat is a national asset under pressure as autonomous services expand.
Silent rides
Uber began offering Wayve autonomous rides in London with a Transport for London-licensed safety driver still in the seat. Sitwell says those supervisors have been told not to talk to passengers, so the journey feels driverless even while a human can take over.
He contrasts that with cabbies who share local knowledge, politics and street-level gossip from Glasgow to St Ives — information he says no chatbot can replace.
The piece is opinion, not a policy report: it does not claim robotaxis are already banned or that black cabs will disappear overnight.