Waymo plans London launch by Q4 2026
US firm Waymo has announced plans to launch electric ‘robotaxis’ on London’s streets by the end of this year. The firm, which is owned by Alphabet, has said that it is already trialing the technology in the capital using cars equipped with human safety drivers to map the city. It comes ahead of planned legislation changes by the UK government which would allow autonomous vehicles to operate.
Ben Loewenstein, Waymo’s head of policy and government affairs for the UK and Europe, outlined the plans during a briefing in London late last month. He said that the firm now aims to launch a fully driverless ride-hailing service in the British capital by the fourth quarter of 2026, which means we should see the service operating before the end of September, subject to regulation changes.
The company has already launched in several US cities including Phoenix, Miami, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay area, and to date has completed more than 20 million journeys. Waymo is reportedly finalising a new $16 billion funding round, which would value the firm at $110 billion.[i]
The firm claims that its service offers several benefits over more traditional taxis, including safer journeys (unlike a human operative a Waymo driver does not tire or lose concentration), cleaner vehicles (given they are fully electric), more efficient and optimised journeys, and enhanced accessibility for those with disabilities or those who are unable to drive a vehicle.
Waymo’s plans are subject to the passing of the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act which has been in development since 2024 with a view to fully implement it for 2027[ii]. The government has estimated that the autonomous vehicle industry could add £42bn to the UK economy by 2035 and create nearly 40,000 new jobs[iii]
In a post on X, Local Transport minister Lillian Greenwood praised Waymo’s planned launch for robotaxis: “Their intention to bring automated passenger services to London under our proposed piloting scheme is a vote of confidence in our AV Act and could transform road safety and accessibility,”[iv]
“We’re thrilled to bring the reliability, safety and magic of Waymo to Londoners,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana has said. “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.”[v]
It marks a push by robotaxi providers to launch in Europe, where late last year ride-hailing firms Uber and Lyft announced a partnership with Chinese technology giant Baidu to bring their electric robotaxis to London during 2026, Lyft also plans to launch in Germany during 2026. Further, Chinese firm Bolt has signalled that it will enter the EU market this year, partnering with Pony.AI[vi].
References
[i] Waymo reportedly raising a $16B funding round | TechCrunch
[ii] Automated Vehicles Act implementation programme - GOV.UK
[iii] Driverless taxis set to launch in UK as soon as September - BBC News
[iv] https://x.com/LilianGreenwood
[v] Hello London! Your Waymo ride is arriving
[vi] The Electric Robotaxi Revolution Is Arriving In Europe In 2026, Here's When And Where
