Waymo has announced the introduction of its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in London – starting in 2026.
The operator has stated it will soon begin to lay groundwork with its fleet partner Moove, as well as continue making plans with local and national leaders in order to secure the necessary permissions to operate its service.
The announcement builds on the operator’s existing footprint within the UK, with its first international engineering hubs already found in both London and Oxford.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said:We’re thrilled to bring the reliability, safety and magic of Waymo to Londoners.
Waymo is making roads safer and transportation more accessible where we operate. We’ve demonstrated how to responsibly scale fully autonomous ride-hailing, and we can’t wait to expand the benefits of our technology to the United Kingdom.
Waymo has also partnered with Jaguar Land Rover, which currently provides a number of all-electric I-PACEs for the operator’s autonomous services across the US, and are now driving throughout Tokyo.
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said:I’m delighted that Waymo intends to bring their services to London next year, under our proposed piloting scheme.
Boosting the AV sector will increase accessible transport options alongside bringing jobs, investment, and opportunities to the UK. Cutting edge investment like this will help us deliver our mission to be world-leaders in new technology and spearhead national renewal that delivers real change in our communities.
