Self-driving Uber taxis now pick up passengers in London

Imagine sitting in a car with no driver. No one is holding the wheel. No one is pressing the pedals. Sounds strange, right? Well, this is now real in London.

This week, a new taxi service started. The cars drive themselves. They have no human driver inside. A company called Uber made these cars. They use special computers and cameras. The cameras see the road. The computers make decisions. They decide when to turn, when to stop, and when to go.

A BBC reporter named Zoe Kleinman took one of these rides. She sat in the car and watched it drive. The car knew where to go. It followed the rules of the road. It stopped at red lights. It moved around other cars. No person touched the wheel.

How does this work? Inside the car, there are many sensors. Sensors are like eyes and ears for machines. They see everything around the car. They tell the computer about other cars, people, and things on the road. The computer thinks very fast. It understands what is safe and what is not safe. Then it drives the car.

This is new technology. Some people feel excited. They think self-driving cars are the future. Other people feel worried. They ask questions: Is this safe? What if something goes wrong? These are good questions.

Right now, these taxis only work in one part of London. Not many people can use them yet. But soon, more people might ride in self-driving cars. Your next taxi ride might have no driver at all.

What do you think? Would you feel brave enough to ride in a self-driving taxi? Or would you prefer to sit with a human driver?

Inspired by reporting from BBC News.