In this episode of E+T Off the Page, hosts Tim Fry and Jack Loughran sit down with Professor Siddartha Khastgir, head of safe autonomy at WMG, University of Warwick, to explore the real-world arrival of robotaxis on the streets of London.

The episode covers why it took a full decade to move from early experiments to commercial driverless fleets, highlighting the immense engineering required to solve the final 5% of safety challenges. Prof Khastgir breaks down the milestone global UN safety regulations and explains why London’s historic, chaotic road network has become the ultimate commercial testbed for autonomous technology.

The discussion also dives into the biggest hurdles facing public trust, from cybersecurity ”computers on wheels” to debunking the famous Trolley Dilemma. Prof Khastgir also addresses the broader societal impacts, examining how autonomous vehicles can revolutionise accessibility, elevate job quality across the transport sector, and why human driving will always have a place on the road.