Self-driving taxi in London films itself running red lighthttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/0 ... red-light/
One of London’s first self-driving taxis filmed itself running a red light as it carried its company’s co-founder to Buckingham Palace to be decorated for services to AI.
Alex Kendall, chief executive of the British AI startup Wayve, shared dashcam footage on social media which showed that his car was operating autonomously and had ignored a red light on Parliament Square.
Mr Kendall, a Cambridge-trained AI scientist, had used the Wayve vehicle to drive him to an investiture last year where the Princess Royal awarded him the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
In a post on X this week, he said: “Many asked to see the autonomous drive to Buckingham Palace for my OBE,” hailing the car’s “impressive drive without intervention”.
It appeared he was unaware that his flagship autonomous vehicle had broken a traffic law during the journey.
Wayve has a partnership with taxi app Uber in which it hopes to launch road trials of its self-driving taxis this year. The so-called Level 4 technology will be fully autonomous, meaning it is approved to drive without human supervision or intervention.
The two companies said the project was the first-ever plan to launch public-road trials of fully autonomous vehicles in the UK.
Dashcam footage showed Mr Kendall’s car driving along Tottenham Court Road, then south through Soho and Trafalgar Square before reaching Buckingham Palace via Victoria Embankment and Parliament Square.
As the car negotiated heavy traffic on the south-west corner of Parliament Square, opposite the Supreme Court, it stopped in front of a white stop line.
A bus can be seen straddling the stop line and pedestrian crossing beyond it, having followed slow-moving cars in front on to the junction.
The traffic light controlling that arm of the junction can be seen changing from green to red. The Wayve car then drives forward, along with the bus.
Wayve admitted the car had run the red light, saying in a statement that its cars are “prototypes” and that Mr Kendall ought to have taken control and stopped.
A spokesman said: “All Wayve journeys are conducted with trained safety operators in the driver’s seat, monitoring the system during testing.
“In this instance, although it’s clear the vehicle crossed the white stop line while the light was green, the car continued to follow the flow of traffic while the traffic light was obscured from view.
“We acknowledge that the more appropriate action would have been to manually take over the vehicle and keep it stationary until a green light was visible again,” continued the spokesman.
“Our test vehicles are prototypes, and our software is under development, with a safety operator supervising every ride. We take this very seriously and will review our systems to ensure ongoing compliance and safety.”
Running a red light is an offence, carrying three penalty points and a fine of £100. Online guidance from the Metropolitan Police suggests drivers caught breaking this law would be fined or referred for a driver awareness course.
Other online advice from police suggests that “driving through a red light by mistake” could amount to “careless or inconsiderate driving”, an offence commonly referred to as “driving without due care and attention” with reference to the words in section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Steve MacNamara, general secretary of the London Taxi Drivers’ Association, said the route taken by the Wayve car was not a sensible one and questioned how the technology would be regulated in the future.
“These cars are sold as ‘the future’,” said Mr MacNamara. “Having watched the video, I am astounded anyone would consider them suitable to be used to convey the public.
“The route it took was long and circuitous and put 20 minutes on the journey; any cabbie taking those routes would quickly lose their licence.
“The red-light jumping is dangerous and a three-point offence.
“London cabbies have their licences revoked at six points. Who is going to police these things and who is responsible for the points?”
The Labour Government is accelerating the pace at which trials of self-driving taxi and bus services will hit British roads.
Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, announced in June 2025 that self-driving passenger services could be used by members of the public as early as spring 2026 and customers could book trips using an app.
There will not be a requirement for a safety driver to be behind the wheel in the event of an emergency.
Self-driving trials have been taking place in the UK since January 2015 with Wayve among the early pioneers, which began operations in the UK in 2017.
Mr Kendall said last year: “Accelerating commercial self-driving pilots to 2026 positions the UK as a leading destination for the deployment of L4 self-driving technology. These early pilots will help build public trust and unlock new jobs, services, and markets”.
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FAQ
But red-face for that joke, rather than red light 
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