The mayor of London, Boris Johnson is braced for a standoff with Bob Crow's RMT trade union after his Transport for London authority confirmed it is considering introducing driverless trains on the tube network.

The general secretary of the UK's most powerful rail union said radical proposals submitted to the TfL board would meet "the fiercest union resistance", nearly a year after calling strikes over ticket office job cuts.

In a document entitled London Underground's operational vision, tube officials say the model for the future would be the driverless trains on the Docklands Light Railway, while Oyster cards will be superseded by a new generation of bank cards. "Given the technology available now, it is very unlikely that … LU will ever again buy a fleet of passenger trains with conventional drivers' cabs," the document says. TfL employs 3,400 drivers and runs nearly 530 trains during the morning rush hour.

The document adds: "The next generation of employees supporting the train service could be much more like the train captains on the Docklands Light Railway, rather than those seen traditionally on LU. There is no doubt the role will change considerably."

But Crow pledged to fight the plans. "Driverless trains are a lethal and unworkable option for London Underground and any move in that direction will meet the fiercest union resistance," he said.

Aslef, Britain's biggest drivers' union, has also warned that it will challenge any attempt to eliminate train drivers "vigorously". The report indicates that driverless services are a decade away, saying that the changes could be made for the next generation of carriages on the Bakerloo, Piccadilly and Central lines but those trains will not be introduced until the 2020s.

However, it makes a "commitment" to current drivers that they will drive trains "for the rest of their career". The successors, though, will be expected to multitask. "It is certain that any staff supporting the train service of the future will be mobile, flexible and customer-focused."

Further ticket office staff reductions seem likely after the document outlined a future where the Oyster card will be outdated. TfL is working on a new generation of ticketing technologies that will replace the Oyster card with a bank card that will be waved over a sensor, automatically debiting the passenger. "Wave and pay" technology that enables passengers to use a contactless card on the Tfl network and in shops such as Pret a Manger and Eat is being introduced on TfL buses next year.

"TfL is working on the next generation of ticketing technology," states the document. "[It] will allow customers with a contactless bank card to pay for travel simply by waving their bank card over the gateline to get the correct fare. There will be no need to buy a card from TfL or to top it up, further reducing demand for ticket selling."

The document states that it recognises the importance of a good relationship with trade unions but makes clear that it wants managers to get closer to staff. This is viewed by unions as a euphemism for limiting their influence. The plan talks of "building a direct relationship between local managers and their staff to increase trust while recognising the importance of consultation with our trade unions".