Google’s Waymo plans to launch autonomous rides in London next year
This marks the company’s second international expansion after Tokyo.
Google’s autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo, is heading to London, where it plans to begin offering rides to the public next year.
Waymo said it will start testing vehicles with trained safety drivers behind the wheel in the “coming weeks.” It’s not the only autonomous ride-hailing company racing to break into London: Uber and UK-based autonomous tech company Wayve this summer announced their intention to partner to offer rides there.
The announcements follow the UK government’s push to fast-track autonomous pilot programs into the spring of 2026, up from late 2027. Firms will be allowed to “pilot small scale ‘taxi- and bus-like’ services without a safety driver for the first time” before a potential wider rollout when the full Automated Vehicles Act becomes law in the second half of 2027, according to the Department of Transport.
“Boosting the AV sector will increase accessible transport options alongside bringing jobs, investment, and opportunities to the UK,” Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said in Waymo’s press release. Waymo also touted that its vehicles, Jaguar I-PACEs, are part of an “iconic British brand.”
Waymo didn’t say how many vehicles would be available to the public at launch, but it said it would scale up operations in conjunction with the government’s guidelines and approval processes.
Customers will use Waymo’s app to hail rides. Waymo has partnered again with Moove for fleet management.
London will be Waymo’s second international market besides Tokyo, where it’s currently testing.
Waymo is currently the largest autonomous ride-hailing service in the US, where it operates in five cities with plans to expand to another six next year. One of its main competitors in the US is Tesla, which is currently operating about 30 robotaxis in Austin with a person in the passenger’s seat.
