Waymo has commenced public road testing of its autonomous vehicles in London as it gears up to introduce a commercial robotaxi service later this year. The company, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has been preparing for this milestone for several months. Their efforts began in October when they announced plans to drive on London’s public roads. Initially, Waymo employees manually operated the vehicles to create precise mapping of the city before transitioning to autonomous vehicle testing.
Currently, Waymo is utilising all-electric Jaguar I-Pace cars, which feature the company’s sophisticated self-driving technology. Each vehicle has a human safety driver in place as part of the ongoing testing phase. Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov highlighted the effectiveness of their core driving AI, expressing confidence in the system’s ability to adapt to local driving conditions and regulations. This phase is crucial as the company aims for a rider-only rollout.
In addition to testing, Waymo is investing in the local economy by hiring staff and setting up multiple autonomous vehicle service centres throughout London. They are also collaborating with emergency services to reinforce their infrastructure for future expansion in Europe.
If Waymo adheres to its usual approach, soon they may advance to driverless tests, first allowing company employees to experience the service before opening it up to the public. Their timeline to launch the service is projected for 2026, contingent on the completion of governmental approval processes in the UK.
Waymo already has established connections to the UK, stemming from its 2019 acquisition of Latent Logic, a UK startup focused on enhancing self-driving car simulations through imitation learning. This acquisition also led to the creation of an engineering hub in Oxford.
The company boasts a fleet of over 3,000 robotaxis, which primarily operate in 11 U.S. cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo is also exploring further market entries.
London stands as a potential launchpad for Waymo’s first international commercial market, although the company will encounter competition from UK-based startup Wayve and rideshare giant Uber, both of which are planning fully driverless services in the city. In addition, Wayve, Uber, and Nissan recently announced a collaboration for a pilot program set to begin in Tokyo by late 2026. As Waymo expands its footprint, it aims to refine its technology and operations in diverse urban settings across the globe.
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