Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle unit, Waymo, announced plans to bring its robotaxi services to London, marking its first foray into the European market.
The company said on Wednesday that it will begin test drives on London streets in the coming months, with human safety specialists at the wheel.
Pending regulatory approvals from local and national authorities, Waymo aims to launch its commercial robotaxi service in 2026.
London will be Waymo’s second international city after Tokyo, where testing commenced in early 2025.
In the United States, Waymo has steadily expanded its footprint, offering commercial services in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas.
Additional US expansions are planned for Miami and Washington, D.C., and the company has secured permits to start autonomous testing with trained safety drivers in New York City.
Details of Waymo’s London plans
Waymo’s London fleet will consist of Jaguar iPACE electric vehicles equipped with the company’s proprietary Waymo Driver autonomous systems.
The company already has engineering teams based in Oxford and London and plans to collaborate with Moove to manage fleet operations and maintenance.
Moove provides financing, vehicle cleaning, some repairs, and charging services to transportation companies, including Waymo and Uber, which also invests in the startup.
The company highlighted its safety record, stating that Waymo vehicles are “involved in five times fewer injury-causing collisions, and twelve times fewer injury-causing collisions with pedestrians compared to humans,” based on internal data.
To date, Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have logged 100 million fully autonomous miles on public roads and provided more than 10 million paid rides.
The autonomous taxi market
In June, the UK introduced an accelerated framework for commercial pilots by autonomous vehicle ventures to attract investment in self-driving technology.
London has also set a “Vision Zero” goal to eliminate all serious injuries and fatalities in transportation by 2041.
Waymo is part of Alphabet’s “Other Bets” segment, which reported $373 million in revenue in the second quarter alongside a loss of $1.25 billion.
Alphabet is scheduled to release third-quarter results on October 29.
The move comes amid a competitive global autonomous vehicle market.
Waymo relies on radar, lidar, and other sensors, whereas other firms, such as Tesla and Wayve, pursue camera-based systems.
Despite challenges to commercialising self-driving technology in the US, including regulatory setbacks and safety incidents for competitors such as General Motors’ Cruise, Waymo continues to expand both domestically and internationally.
Currently, Waymo operates approximately 1,500 vehicles in US cities, serving over 250,000 paid trips per week, and partners with Moove for fleet operations and infrastructure management.
Uber has also announced plans to trial fully driverless rides in the UK through its partnership with AI startup Wayve, beginning in spring 2026.
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