"Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving ride-hail company, is officially headed to Europe. The company announced on Wednesday that it is planning to start offering paid robotaxi rides in London next year, and said that its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles will start making their rounds-with safety drivers behind the wheel-along the London streets "in the coming weeks" as the company gears up for launching service."
"London will become the second city outside the U.S. in Waymo's international expansion, with testing in Tokyo having begun in April. In London, Waymo says it will partner with Moove, a mobility solutions company that Waymo is already working with in Phoenix and Miami, for fleet operations to handle things like charging infrastructure and cleaning vehicles. In the U.S., Waymo has worked with several partners, including Lyft, Uber, and Avis to handle some of the operational work."
"It will take some time for Waymo to be able to fully ramp up commercial operations in the U.K., as the country is still in the process of developing guidelines and refining permitting processes for self-driving car companies. Waymo is one of a few companies participating in the U.K's AV trial program. Autonomous driving companies will be able to run small-scale autonomous pilots with passengers beginning in spring 2026."
Waymo will start paid robotaxi rides in London next year and will begin safety-driver testing there in the coming weeks using Jaguar I-PACE vehicles. London becomes the second city outside the U.S. in Waymo's international expansion after Tokyo. Waymo will partner with Moove for fleet operations, handling charging infrastructure and vehicle cleaning, building on U.S. partnerships with Lyft, Uber, and Avis for operational support. The U.K. is still developing guidelines and permits; small-scale autonomous pilots with passengers can begin in spring 2026, with larger rollout tied to full implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act in the second half of 2027.
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