Waymo has officially announced plans to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in London, UK, starting in 2026.
As noted, after years of exclusively serving US cities in limited capacity, Waymo Driver is finally heading across the pond and will land in London sometime next year. The company intends to offer fully autonomous rides via the Waymo app and aims to complement London’s extensive public transport and pedestrian infrastructure network.
To prepare for the launch, Waymo is partnering with fleet operations specialist Moove and will spend the coming months securing necessary permissions from local and national leaders. Waymo has already logged over one hundred million fully autonomous miles on U.S. public roads and delivered more than ten million paid rides to customers. Still, it’s unclear how the system will adapt to the notoriously different road conditions in the UK when ridesharing becomes available.
While Waymo already has a presence in the UK, which is already home to the company’s first international engineering hubs in London and Oxford, this will be only the second vehicular expansion for the company and Waymo Driver after expanding to Tokyo, Japan, in another limited fashion earlier this year.
The service is also being positioned as a safety booster. Waymo cited data showing its technology is involved in five times fewer injury-causing collisions overall, and twelve times fewer with pedestrians, compared to human drivers. This focus on safety and accessibility is earning high praise.
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander welcomed the news, noting it will “increase accessible transport options alongside bringing jobs, investment, and opportunities to the UK.” The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) also called the planned introduction a potential “dawn of a new era in independent mobility options.”
Waymo is will be sharing more details on the expansion to London and more UK news on the firm’s official blog.
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