Uber is "ready to go" now with driverless taxis in the UK - but fully self-driving cars are not set to be approved on UK roads until 2027.
The previous Conservative Government said fully autonomous cars were "set to be on roads by 2026", but the Labour government says it is now more likely to happen in the second half of the following year, according to the BBC.
"We're ready to launch robotaxis in the UK as soon as the regulatory environment is ready for us," Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of mobility at Uber, told the broadcaster.
In the US, Mr Macdonald said robotaxis typically operate for 20 hours per day, seven days per week.
Uber says the fare is currently the same as a ride with a human behind the wheel.
The option to take one or have a human driver appears for users when they hail their taxi on the app.
The driverless minicabs are also already in operation in China, the UAE and Singapore.
But Mr Macdonald disagreed that the UK was lagging behind the rest of the world in implementing the technology.
He told the BBC the US and China were ahead largely because that is where the majority of the tech had been developed.
The ride-hailing firm is working with 18 automated car tech companies.
"We are working quickly and will implement self-driving vehicle legislation in the second half of 2027", the Department for Transport said in a statement.
"We are also exploring options for short-term trials and pilots to create the right conditions for a thriving self-driving sector," it added.
Limited self-driving technology is already permitted on UK roads, but a human driver must be at the wheel and responsible for the vehicle, even if automated technology is being used.
