Uber and Lyft have just announced partnerships with Baidu to trial the tech and if all goes to plan, robotaxis could hit UK roads next year.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has welcomed the news on social media, writing on X: "Another vote of confidence in our plans for self-driving vehicles from global leader

@Lyft

"We’re planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from Spring, under our pilot scheme – harnessing this technology safely and responsibly to transform travel. (sic)"

Uber is also excited by the latest development.

The ride-sharing app said in a statement: "We're excited to accelerate Britain's leadership in the future of mobility, bringing another safe and reliable travel option to Londoners next year."

Despite this, Jack Stilgoe, a professor of science and technology policy at University College London, has warned that the rollout of driverless cars will not be a straightforward process.

The tech expert explained that driverless cars "can't just scale up like other digital technologies".

Speaking to the BBC, Stilgoe added: "There's a big difference between having a few test vehicles using public streets as their laboratory and a fully-developed, scaled-up system that becomes a real transport option for people."