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World Service,30 Oct 2026,26 mins

Can London鈥檚 black cabs survive driverless cars?

The Global Story

Available for over a year

Londoners can now travel in autonomous cars for the first time, after Uber was granted a licence to operate a test fleet of self-driving vehicles. Each vehicle must have a safety driver behind the wheel, but the UK government says fully self-driving cars will be available in late 2027. Driverless cars are the latest threat facing London鈥檚 iconic black cabs, over a decade after the introduction of ride-sharing apps revolutionised transport in the city. Tristan Redman meets Tom Scullion, who has been a cabbie for over 30 years, and asks whether one of the world鈥檚 hardest memory tests 鈥� the Knowledge 鈥� can compete with AI. Producer: Sam Chantarasak Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Digital producer: Charlie Firth Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Black cab driver Tom Scullion. Credit: 麻豆社

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