The government has announced a public consultation on self-driving vehicles to find out what the industry thinks of a future where driverless vehicles could be a regular feature on the UK’s road network.
With self-driving vehicles coming to UK roads from as soon as 2026, the Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, has announced the consultation on the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme and it could determine how taxi, private-hire and bus style services using self-driving vehicles will be regulated.
The consultation follows the recent government decision to fast-track pilots of self-driving passenger vehicles to spring 2026, which will allow firms to pilot small-scale services without a safety driver for the first time, before a potential wider roll-out when the Automated Vehicles Act is implemented in full, from the second half of 2027.
The government says that bringing forward the pilots of self-driving vehicles will help to deliver its Plan for Change by creating 38,000 jobs and unlocking an industry worth £42 billion by 2035.
Self-driving vehicles are expected to have a substantial impact on public transport services as they can provide more flexibility and choice of travel options as well as adding more options for public transport in rural areas. They could also reduce the number of accidents that are down to human error.
Representative groups including industry stakeholders, trade unions and members of the public will be asked to make their views heard on a number of subjects including how self-driving vehicles can be made as accessible as possible for disabled and older people, how services of self-driving vehicles are approved by local authorities and when a permit to operate a service should be varied, suspended or withdrawn.
It will give representative groups, industry stakeholders, trade unions and members of the public an opportunity to influence future government policy over a variety of areas critical for self-driving vehicles to run safely and efficiently.
Lilian Greenwood said: “Self-driving vehicles are one of the most exciting opportunities to improve transport for so many people, especially those in rural areas or unable to drive. We want to work with passengers and industry to make this new form of transport safe and accessible, as we take our next steps towards adoption.
“This technology doesn’t just have the potential to improve transport for millions of people. It will help stimulate innovation, create thousands of jobs, and drive investment to put more money in people’s pockets – all part of delivering our Plan for Change.”
More details of The Automated Vehicles (Permits for Automated Passenger Services) Regulations 2026 and options for submitting views to the consultation are available via the following link: Automated passenger services: permitting scheme – GOV.UK. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 28 September 2025.
