'I tried Uber's robot taxi - AI cabbie has learned niceties don't always cut it on the road'

As soon as we're off, it’s clear Uber’s robo-cabbie has the bit between its teeth. Last time I tested a self-driving car - like now, with a human poised to step in if needed - it was chilled out, courteous, even polite. This time around and Uber and tech partner Wayve - who've been testing on London’s busy, bustling streets - have seemingly clocked that niceties don't always cut it in the capital. Before heading off, there’s booking the car in the first place - a fairly straight forward process through Uber’s existing app. That said, despite a couple of the hi-tech cars being parked within sight, Uber’s app said they’d still take seven minutes to arrive. When one did roll up, it was a case of using the app to tap ‘unlock” and open the rear door. Unlike big rival Waymo’s trial robotaxis in London, the Uber-Wayve cabs don’t stand out like a sore thumb. The main upward sign of the revolutionary kit on board is a bar across the roof. Inside, it’s much like any other Ford Mustang Mach-E (the plan is to move to Nissan’s new Leaf for the full launch). There’s a flat screen between the front two seats, on which you tap another prompt to confirm you’re ready to head off. And then we’re off. I don’t know what Wayve’s been teaching its AI driver but it’s clearly a 'bold is best' approach when navigating the capital’s streets. We whizz down the first street, making a swift left, then another turn as we zip alone. At another left, there’s a cyclist on other side wanting to turn right. Does the AI cabbie give way, wave a virtual hand as if to say ‘no, seriously, after you’? None of it, we’re off, leaving a slightly bemused cyclist in our wake. And so it goes on as we nip past Westminster Abbey, with its hoards of tourists, then the busy traffic of Parliament Square, left into Whitehall and swiftly past the entrance to Downing Street. All with the assertiveness of a seasoned London driver, minus the expletives. The final turn and it’s our right of way, but there’s a pedestrian on the kerb with a look of shall-I-shan’t-I in his eyes about crossing. The AI driver isn’t hesitating to find out. You snooze you lose and we’re round and gone. Then, before I know it, the trip’s over. Given there was a safety driver with his hands hovering in a four o-clock and seven o-clock position under the wheel, it’s hard to imagine exactly what the fully autonomous robotaxi will feel like, if it gets the green light from the authorities. But watching the steering wheel twist and turn of its own accord, with other vehicles inches away, all while in the back seat, is an odd experience. My guess is there will be a rush of people wanting to try this half-way house out, if only for the novelty value. But most won’t want to wait ages if a human driven cab is closer, or if it ends up costing a lot more.