Waymo robotaxi service coming to London this year

"From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging."

"Google's self-diving car division Waymo has announced that it is expanding its robotaxi operations to London. It will be the first European city to support the autonomous ride-hailing service, with the first vehicles rolling out over the coming weeks. Waymo is the world's leading robotaxi service, with a fleet of 1,500 self-driving cars serving Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco in the US. The first expansion to international markets was through testing sites in Tokyo."

"Waymo is making roads safer and transportation more accessible where we operate, said Waymo chief executive Tekedra Mawakana. 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. The first cars in the UK will come with human safety drivers behind the wheel, but working with the Department for Transport and Transport for London, Waymo hopes to introduce fully autonomous rides in 2026."

News organizations seek donations to fund on-the-ground reporting across issues such as reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech. Some organizations avoid paywalls and rely on support from those who can afford to pay to keep journalism accessible. Waymo plans to expand robotaxi operations to London as its first European city, with initial vehicles deploying in the coming weeks. Waymo operates a fleet of 1,500 self-driving cars across several US cities and previously tested internationally in Tokyo. Initial UK cars will include human safety drivers, and Waymo aims to introduce fully autonomous rides in 2026 working with transport authorities.

Read at www.independent.co.uk