Driverless taxis could cause “serious collisions” on the streets of London, a council was warned earlier this year.

Autonomous vehicle expert Herve de Treglode said progress had been held up in Europe by the existence of a developed public transport network and also by regulatory issues, such as the current requirement for a non-intervening "safety driver" to be on board. But he also said he believed robotaxis could be in commercial use as early as next year.

Self-driving taxis, already booming in the United States and China, are emerging in Europe, with major companies launching trials this year in several capitals and the European Union set to step on the accelerator Monday.

Waymo has had a rough stretch of public incidents recently. Atlanta residents are among the latest to document something going wrong with the driverless taxis.

They're already ferrying passengers across America's biggest cities, now the company wants to come Down Under.

Driverless cars could be coming to NSW roads, with state bureaucrats secretly working on a proposed trial of Waymo robotaxis in Sydney.

Uber said its users could sign up from Monday for a chance to ride in London's first robotaxis powered by AI technology ​from British start-up Wayve as soon as regulators give the go-ahead ‌for launch,