Breakingviews - London will wage international robotaxi warfare

London is set to become the first major test ground for robotaxi competitors from China, the UK and the United States, marking the next stage of “robotaxi warfare,” according to Reuters Breakingviews. The city, which handles more than 100,000 taxis and private-hire vehicles and nearly 150 million trips annually, will challenge autonomous software with dense traffic, double-decker buses, emergency vehicles, and cyclists. UK regulators opened applications last month, and three companies aim to carry paying passengers this year. Alphabet’s Waymo, valued at $126 billion, says it logs more than 500,000 rides weekly; Baidu’s Apollo Go, at $38 billion, is around 250,000 rides, according to HSBC. London-based Wayve, a nine-year-old startup led by Alex Kendall, will offer commercial services for the first time. The matchup matters because global robotaxi revenue could rise from under $1 billion this year to more than $168 billion by 2035. Pricing and assumptions about avoiding crashes, emissions and congestion will be stress-tested in “the Big Smoke.”