London set for autonomous ride sharing by 2021

The two companies will collaborate on the development, deployment and operation of customer focussed autonomous vehicles in London. The long-term aim is to take a greater share of the car services market for connected autonomous vehicle technology, which in the UK alone is forecast to be worth £28bn by 2035.

Oxbotica, which develops software for autonomous vehicles and Addison Lee Group, which provides premium car services, are set to create detailed, digital maps of over 250,000 miles of public roads in and around the capital that will record the position of every kerb, road sign, landmark and traffic light in preparation for the deployment of autonomous cars.

Graeme Smith, CEO of Oxbotica, said: "This represents a huge leap towards bringing autonomous vehicles into mainstream use on the streets of London, and eventually in cities across the United Kingdom and beyond.

"Our partnership with Addison Lee Group represents another milestone for the commercial deployment of our integrated autonomous vehicle and fleet management software systems in complex urban transport conditions.”