Robotaxi Enters the Game. Driverless Taxis Coming Soon to Europe
- Damian Brzeski
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
Robotaxi are rolling out of the labs and onto the streets—driverless, but loaded with questions. Are machines truly ready to take the wheel?
How will this impact our cities, our wallets, and… our loneliness on the road? Find out what the era of autonomous transportation brings and why 2025 is the year science fiction becomes commonplace.
The End of Science Fiction. New Mobility Hits the Streets
Remember those futuristic visions from "Minority Report" where cars hurtle through buildings? The reality turns out to be more mundane, but just as revolutionary.
Tech giants are leaving the experimental stage (R&D) and starting to expect a hard return on investment.
The world situation resembles two different poles:
The US and China (Courage): They're going all out. In San Francisco or Phoenix, the sight of a car without anyone in the front seat is now a part of the landscape, as natural as fog over the Golden Bridge.
Europe (Caution): It has chosen a strategy of "surgical precision." There is no room for error. We prioritize safety, integration with public transport, and strict regulations.
Teleoperation is becoming a key concept for the Old Continent. Imagine it as a digital umbilical cord.
It's a bridge that allows you to remove the driver from the seat but keep the human "brain" overseeing the machine from the safety of an office.
The Big Game for Billions. Who Rules the Robotaxi Market?
Why Now? Three Engines of Change
Analysts agree: we're at the beginning of a vertical growth curve. Although the current market valuation (approximately $2–2.7 billion) is considered "tiny" on a global economic scale, Grand View Research forecasts growth of 73% annually through 2030.
Why the rush? It had a domino effect:
Cheaper hardware: Sensors such as LiDAR (vehicle laser "eyes") have become several dozen percent cheaper.
Next-generation AI: New end-to-end neural networks no longer work like a rigid instruction manual, but like human intuition – they “understand” the road context.
Cost math: This is the most important point. Removing the driver from the equation reduces operating costs by 45–60%. The machine doesn't take sick leave and can run 23 hours a day.
The USA, China, and Europe: Three Different Transportation Ideas
The market has divided into clear philosophical blocks:
USA (Waymo/Google): Brute Force strategy – expensive cars and HD maps that know every curb.
China (Baidu/Apollo): “Smart City” model – the infrastructure (lights, street lamps) tells the car how to drive.
Europe (Verne/Rimac/VW): “Ecosystem” approach – full integration of the car with the application and service base.
Europe Strikes Back: Project Verne and Steering-Bare Luxury
What's happening in Zagreb with the Verne project (a Mate Rimac company) deserves special attention. This is where technology meets a focus on the passenger experience.
Living room on wheels
The Verne is a two-seater coupe. Why only two seats? The statistics from ride-hailing apps are brutal: 9 out of 10 trips involve one or two passengers. Removing the steering wheel and pedals transforms the interior into a private pod, complete with a 43-inch screen and reclining seats.
Mothership – Sterile Perfection
Verne designers promise us a "Mothership"—a central hub where cars arrive for automatic charging and cleaning. You know that moment when you get into a taxi and smell the smell of... the previous passenger?
This disappears here. In the app, you choose your interior scent (pine or sea breeze?) and you'll get the perfect product.
The statistics are merciless here – algorithms don't drink, don't smoke in the car, and don't have bad days. We get a world without human error, sterile and smelling of synthetic freshness.
This is a hygiene standard unattainable for traditional taxis, although it raises the question: are we not losing the "spirit" of the city in this sterility?
Law and technology. How to control a car from behind a desk?
Europe doesn't allow "free-for-alls." To get these cars on the road, we had to create a new legal framework that defines safety.
Remote control or remote support?
This is a key distinction. In Europe, remote driving (real-time steering, like in a game) is practically banned at higher speeds due to network latency.
The preferred model is Remote Assistance . When the car "goes astray" (e.g., seeing unusual roadworks), it sends an SOS signal. The operator in the office doesn't turn the steering wheel; instead, he clicks on the screen: "Granted permission to bypass the cone." Humans are the strategists, machines are the executors.
The Responsibility Revolution (UK)
The UK introduced a breakthrough with the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 : Passenger Immunity . If a car drives itself, you're not responsible for anything.
The ticket for running a red light goes to the company (ASDE), and accident victims receive compensation in the No-fault procedure - quickly, without years of court proceedings.
Will our labyrinth endure this?
This all sounds great, but there's one biological problem: motion sickness. When you read an email in a moving car, your labyrinth goes haywire.
Manufacturers combat this with Comfort Braking (ultra-smooth driving algorithms) and visual cues on screens that peripherally "trick" the brain, synchronizing it with the vehicle's movement.
The Future of Taxi Drivers: Between Algorithm and Empathy
Is this the end of the taxi profession? In the short term (3–5 years), robotaxi will be a technological innovation in city centers.
Taxi drivers will still dominate suburban routes and complex commutes. In the long term, the driver's role will evolve towards that of a Fleet Operator or Teleoperator . Instead of struggling in traffic, an experienced driver will oversee 10-15 vehicles from an office.
But in this debate about efficiency, we're missing something fundamental. What exactly is a taxi? Historically, it's a kind of confessional on wheels .
A taxi driver witnesses our dramas, our returns from failed dates, and our early morning escapes. He knows the city not through a 3D point cloud, but through the anatomy of human stories. He knows where the city is bustling and where people are nursing hangovers.
When we board a Wayve or Verne pod, we'll be completely alone. We'll replace the chaotic, sometimes irritating, yet vibrant urban fabric with a cool and perfect system.
The price of missing out on taxi chatter might be worth paying for silence, safety, and a 40% lower bill . But disembarking at your destination, in that perfect scent of synthetic pine, you might discover you've paid for this comfort with a currency no engineer could calculate—the currency of human presence.
The world of robotaxi is coming. It will be safer and cleaner, but also, in an intangible way, lonelier. And this is perhaps the most important "edge case" that Silicon Valley engineers have yet to solve.
What do you think? Do you prefer a flawless machine or a chat with a human? Let us know in the comments!
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about Robotaxi
Will a ride in an autonomous taxi be cheaper than a regular Uber ? Yes, it's expected to be significantly cheaper. Removing the driver from the equation reduces the company's operating costs by 45–60% . Analysts predict that prices could drop below the cost of owning a car.
Will I lose my job as a taxi driver in 2025? No, in the coming years (3-5 years), robotaxi will operate primarily in the very centers of large cities as a technological innovation. Traditional drivers will still be indispensable on suburban routes, airports, and for passengers requiring boarding assistance.
Who pays the fine if a robotaxi runs a red light? Under new regulations (e.g., in the UK), passengers have immunity . Legal and financial liability rests with the company operating the fleet (the so-called ASDE), not the person sitting inside.
What happens if the car "goes crazy" and doesn't know how to avoid an obstacle? In this situation , the Remote Assistance system is activated. The vehicle stops safely and sends a signal to the operations center. A human (teleoperator) connects with the car, assesses the situation through cameras, and authorizes a maneuver (e.g., avoiding a bollard), which the car then executes autonomously.
When will autonomous taxis arrive in Europe? The first commercial implementations are planned sooner than you think. Project Verne is scheduled to launch in Zagreb in 2026 , and then expand to cities in Germany and the UK. Passenger tests (e.g., MOIA in Hamburg) are already underway.
Will I be safe in a driverless car? Statistics from the US (Waymo) indicate that autonomous vehicles are involved in fewer accidents resulting in injuries than human drivers. They don't drink, aren't tired, and can see all around thanks to LiDAR sensors.
What is the "Mothership" in the Verne project? It's a central hub where autonomous taxis automatically arrive for battery charging, technical inspection, and interior cleaning . This ensures that every passenger boards a sterile vehicle.
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