Driverless taxis could be coming to London within months, as ministers prepare for a change in regulations that will allow US firm Waymo to run its fleet of Jaguar I-Pace models in the city. 

The UK government has indicated that it plans to enable the rules to allow the driverless cabs to operate in the second half of the year, but hasn’t given an exact date. The framework of the legislation has already been voted through Parliament, but there’s further secondary legislation  Waymo says it hopes to have the service running by September. 

Riders will be able to hail the Waymo cars using the company’s app, though there could be geographical restrictions at least initially – Waymo says the cars won’t take you to the airport at first, but we do understand that they’ll be prepared to go south of the river at this time of night. 

Trial runs of the Waymo taxis could be ready as soon as May, with the company’s fleet of Jaguar I-Pace models currently circulating London with safety drivers on board to map the city’s streets. The company has reportedly had to put extra effort in to helping the cars deal with Britain’s quirks that aren’t found in the US, including zebra crossings and corners. 

The British built cars are left hand drive, shipped from America where they have been equipped with self-driving tech that includes an array of sensors to plot routes, including lidar and radar setups that use powerful on board computers to respond to changing environments.

Waymo is owned by Alphabet, parent company of internet giant Google, which industry sources estimate has invested nearly £22bn in getting running. Waymo rivals Uber and Lyft are also said to be waiting in the wings with rival offerings once the cars are allowed in the UK, while car companies like Nissan are refining their own tech.