TLDR
- Waymo will bring autonomous ride-hailing services to London in 2026, its first European location
- Testing with human safety drivers in Jaguar iPACE electric vehicles begins in coming months
- The company operates 1,500 vehicles across five U.S. cities, completing 250,000 paid trips weekly
- Moove will manage fleet operations, maintenance, and charging infrastructure for London launch
- Waymo requires regulatory approval from local and national authorities before full launch
Alphabet’s Waymo is expanding its autonomous vehicle operations to London. The self-driving taxi service will launch in 2026, making the UK capital its first European market.
The robotaxi company announced plans Wednesday to begin testing vehicles on London streets. Human safety specialists will operate the cars during the initial testing phase.
Waymo will use Jaguar iPACE electric vehicles equipped with its autonomous driving technology. The company already employs engineering teams in Oxford and London to support the expansion.
Testing and Regulatory Approval
Testing will start in the coming months with safety drivers behind the wheel. Waymo must secure permissions from UK regulators and government officials before launching fully driverless operations.
London represents Waymo’s second international market after Tokyo. The company started collecting data and testing vehicles in Japan’s capital earlier in 2025.
The UK government introduced an accelerated framework for autonomous vehicle pilots in June. This policy aims to attract investment in self-driving technology to Britain.
London also established a Vision Zero initiative this year. The program targets elimination of all serious injuries and deaths in the city’s transportation network by 2041.
Current Operations and Growth
Waymo currently provides commercial robotaxi services in five American cities. These locations include Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Austin.
The company operates approximately 1,500 vehicles in its U.S. fleet. These vehicles complete more than 250,000 paid trips each week.
Waymo has logged 100 million fully autonomous miles on public roads. The service has provided over 10 million paid passenger rides since launching commercially.
The company reports its autonomous system is involved in five times fewer injury-causing accidents than human drivers. Collisions with pedestrians occur twelve times less frequently compared to human-operated vehicles, according to Waymo’s internal data analysis.
Partnership and Infrastructure
Moove will handle fleet operations for Waymo’s London launch. The vehicle financing company provides maintenance, cleaning, repairs, and charging services for electric vehicles.
Moove already works with Waymo in Phoenix and will manage operations in Miami next year. The company also partners with Uber, which offers Waymo vehicles through its app in Atlanta and Austin.
Waymo operates as part of Alphabet’s Other Bets division. This segment generated $373 million in revenue during the second quarter while recording a $1.25 billion loss.
UK-based startup Wayve also plans to launch a robotaxi pilot in London next year. Wayve uses camera-based autonomous systems, while Waymo relies on radar, lidar, and other sensors.
Waymo vehicles are currently being shipped to London. Safety drivers will begin testing the autonomous technology on city streets before the planned 2026 launch of fully driverless operations.
