Waymo has started running its autonomous vehicles on London's public roads, a milestone that moves the Alphabet-owned company closer to launching its first commercial robotaxi service outside the United States. Trained specialists remain behind the wheel as the system handles the driving on some of the world's most chaotic streets.
From manual mapping to autonomous testing
Waymo employees first drove the vehicles manually to map the city before switching on autonomous testing. The fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, fitted with Waymo's self-driving system, now navigates London with safety operators on standby. Co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said the company's "core driving AI" is "generalizing very well" as it masters local nuances and validates performance on UK roads.
London's hardest test
Unlike the wide, predictable roads of many US cities, London offers cramped streets, messy junctions, cyclists and unpredictable pedestrians. Waymo is building out multiple AV service centers across the capital, hiring locally and coordinating with emergency services as it lays the groundwork to expand across Europe. A full driverless launch in 2026 hinges on the UK government finalizing its approval process.
A crowded robotaxi race
Waymo already operates commercially in 11 US cities and runs more than 3,000 robotaxis. In London it will face Wayve and Uber, whose own London service is in the works, as global rivals accelerate. The push mirrors commercial moves elsewhere, from Zoox's purpose-built robotaxi launch to the Stellantis-Wayve-Uber global partnership.
Reporting based on coverage from TechCrunch and Waymo.