GMB, the biggest UK union organising taxi and private hire drivers, wants ministers to put money behind a driverless transition — not just warm words about new technology.
At its Congress in Blackpool in June 2026, delegates backed a call for laws to protect taxi and private hire drivers from job losses and cut earnings as automated vehicles roll out. The union says more than 300,000 private hire jobs could be at risk.
A Just Transition Fund paid by operators
Delegates also demanded a Just Transition Fund for workers displaced or replaced by automated vehicle (AV) technology, financed by a levy or tax on AV operators. GMB’s own policy paper says that money should pay for retraining and stronger social security for displaced transport workers, and that operators should show how they support drivers in markets where they deploy AVs.
Private hire driver and Congress delegate Ali Haydor put the politics bluntly: gig firms sell driverless taxis as progress, but “workers should not be expected to carry all the risks while companies take all the rewards.”
London trials sharpen the argument
The pressure has grown as robotaxi services start to appear on British roads. In September, GMB said Uber’s London robotaxi plans were premature without a clear plan from Transport for London and government to protect drivers and hold operators accountable. Senior organiser David McMullen warned of “unprecedented levels of social and economic disruption” if driverless cars spread without that safety net.
A separate Centre for British Progress report, covered by The Guardian, urged ministers to tax self-driving vehicles early to blunt congestion and job risk. It pointed to England’s 417,000 taxi and private hire drivers, including 121,000 in London, and argued AVs will eventually make much of that work obsolete.
GMB London region drivers branch president Simon Rush said an AV charge alone would not be enough. The union has asked government, TfL and operators for a reskill and redeploy plan — and says those questions have gone unanswered. Wayve, partnering with Uber on London services, has argued a sector-specific tax would penalise UK innovators.
What drivers are being asked to accept
For working cabbies and PH drivers, the fight is familiar: new tech arrives as efficiency and growth, while the bill for lost shifts lands on the people behind the wheel. GMB’s ask is specific — statute to protect jobs and earnings, and a levy-funded transition pot so operators help pay for the disruption they create.