Overview
- Waymo has started letting its software drive on London streets with trained safety operators in the front seat as backup.
- The company is targeting a paid robotaxi service in 2026 pending UK government approval, with fuller national rules expected in 2027 under the Automated Vehicles Act.
- Waymo is building local operations by hiring staff, opening multiple service hubs across the city, and working with emergency services.
- London’s streets present a tougher test than many U.S. cities, with narrow lanes, complex junctions, dense cycling, and unpredictable pedestrian crossings that the system must learn.
- The London push comes as Waymo expands driverless rides in the U.S., including a newly opened public service in Orlando, and as rivals like Wayve and Uber plan their own London launches.