If you just remember one thing from this briefing…
European insurers now price robotaxi risk — the UK still cannot say who is liable for one.
On 16 September Allianz signed a fleet and liability deal with Waymo for its German rollout — the clearest sign
yet a major insurer will underwrite driverless risk at scale. Six weeks into Uber and Wayve's supervised London
service, insurers still call liability genuinely unresolved between driver and software. Ask your team: has our
AV liability assumption been tested against this?
Priority16 Sep
Allianz signs fleet and liability insurance deal with Waymo for Europe
Allianz Partners agreed a three-year deal covering motor fleet, liability and digital claims for Waymo's
German robotaxi operations, plus joint crash-data research ahead of Munich testing. It is the first major
European insurer to commit fleet cover to a driverless operator at scale.
So what: insurers are pricing driverless risk before an accident record exists. Check
whether any client-facing AV pilot has equivalent cover confirmed, not assumed.
Watch14 Sep, unconfirmed
Waymo reportedly preparing a second German launch, in Berlin
German investigative reporting says Waymo is preparing to map Berlin with up to 50 vehicles before year
end, alongside its Munich programme. Waymo has not confirmed the plan or a timeline, and holds no KBA
testing or operating permit in either city.
So what: scale ambition is outrunning permits again. Treat Berlin as unconfirmed
reporting until Waymo or the KBA say otherwise.
PriorityPoll fielded Jun, ongoing
Londoners oppose robocabs by 42 to 29 per cent, YouGov finds
A YouGov survey of 1,053 Londoners for the London Assembly Transport Committee found 42% opposed
autonomous passenger vehicles against 29% in support, with only 17% trusting operators with personal data.
GMB continues to press for a driver-protection plan before any expansion of Uber and Wayve's service.
So what: measured opinion is running behind commercial rollout, not ahead of it.
Weight client launch messaging against this, not just launch-week coverage.
WatchSince Aug, unresolved
London Assembly's autonomous vehicle recommendations remain unpublished
The Transport Committee's report, promised "in the next few weeks" when chair Caroline Russell spoke in
August, has still not appeared. It follows Committee concern that TfL was sidelined while the DfT approved
Uber and Wayve's trial without TfL sign-off.
So what: the DfT/TfL licensing split stays contested and undocumented. Do not treat
London's driverless permit process as settled by the APS regulations alone.
