'I'm one of the first to use a space-age driverless taxi - it felt safer than a regular cab'

'I'm one of the first to use a space-age driverless taxi - it felt safer than a regular cab' EXCLUSIVE: Alex Mitchell says his experience in the controversial Waymo robotaxi surprised him - but is the UK ready for the autonomous cars ahead of a rumoured September arrival? One of the first Brits to try out the new driverless robotaxis soon to be heading for Britain says the whole experience blew his mind - but he actually felt safer being driven by a robot than a human. Alex Mitchell, 33, decided to hitch a ride with the futuristic Waymo when he took a trip to America to catch a few days of the World Cup last month. He spent some time in Atlanta, Georgia, one of a handful of cities to unleash the AI cars with speculation growing that they could arrive in London in a matter of month. Waymo, part of tech giant Google, claims its technology dramatically cuts traffic accidents and even prevents pedestrian and cyclist injuries. Many campaigners are not convinced and the firm were forced to paused its self-driving car service in five areas last month after a software issue saw some vehicles get stuck down flooded roads. Although Alex fears London is just too busy for the robot cars, he was so impressed after the initial acclimatisation that he ended up going driverless on three other journeys while in the States. "They're quite easy to spot, they've got almost what looks like fans on top of them," he told us. "When we first saw one, we did some googling and found out how to book them on Uber. You need to a certain setting on, and once it arrives you tap a button on the app, which unlocks the doors. "Once you're in there's an AI voice saying 'welcome Alex' and they tell you to put your seatbelt on and enjoy the ride. You can pick your own music too. Another interesting feature is that the tipping feature is turned off as there's nobody to tip! "The first minute or so is partly mind-blowing, and partly anxious. I wouldn't say scary, but watching it turn its first corner when the steering wheel is really going, it's very strange. It's like you're in another world. "But soon you release the camera on the vehicle picks up every pedestrian and every cyclist and they are mapping them in real time. "We didn't have any near-miss moments and it was well-programme in that sence. After our first trip, every time we had a match with them on the Uber app, we used them." He says he felt more secure in the hands of AI that he has on many trips with a driver at the wheel. "People have asked me if I felt safe, and I would say I actually felt safer in a Waymo than I do with someone else driving," he added. "It's weird to say that as someone who is perhaps a little sceptical of AI. It's still a developing product. "There's no driver being distracted, playing around with his phone accepting his next fare or even leaning back to talk to you. It's programmed to keep safe distances. It felt safe and secure. "It's quite surreal seeing no driver in the seat, and it's very odd when you're out and about and see these cars driving but they are totally empty. That will take some getting used to. But would I use one again if I went back to America tomorrow? Absolutely." The taxi-hailing app is currently asking its customers in London if they want to use driverless minicabs as the company prepares to launch the vehicles for the first time in Britain. UK firm Wayve is seeking formal permission from the Department for Transport, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and Transport for London to operate them here but Alex says there are obvious stumbling blocks that will be hard to nagivate. "I think it helps in America as the roads are wider," he said. "Do I think it could work in say London? Probably not, there's too many pedestians. It might in smaller cities here, though. "What works in America's advange is that people cross at crossings, there's no jaywalking as they call it. Here, people cross where they like and the cars would struggle with that. That's a significant difference. "To a certain extent it feels like it works in America mainly because there's not thousands and thousands of them on the road. There are moments when Waymo's meet in the street, you can see they struggle a bit. "When two Waymo are at a junction, they are all programmes the same. They hesitate as there's no superiority order. "I think we're a very long way from getting to the stage where everyone's cars are autonomous. But it was a really good experience and it will be interesting to see what happens over here."