Waymo announced on Wednesday that it will launch a commercial robotaxi service in London in 2026. This marks the second international expansion for the Alphabet-owned company, following its entry into Tokyo.
The decision to bring robotaxis to the UK came after weeks of speculation, which was fueled by several London-based job postings. Waymo already has established ties to the UK. In 2019, the company acquired Latent Logic, a UK startup that originated from Oxford University’s computer science department. This startup uses a machine learning technique called imitation learning to enhance the realism of self-driving car simulations. As part of this acquisition, Waymo also established an engineering hub in Oxford.
In a blog post, Waymo stated that its all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, which are equipped with self-driving technology, will begin operating on London’s public roads in the coming weeks. The company will start with human safety drivers behind the wheel. This will be followed by driverless testing, and eventually, the public will be invited to hail its robotaxis. This is the same strategy Waymo has used in other commercial markets like Phoenix and San Francisco.
Waymo did not provide further details on when the human safety driver would be removed or on the size of the testing fleet. However, Waymo spokesperson Ethan Teicher confirmed the company intends to operate a self-driving car service for public riders next year.
The launch of the robotaxi service in 2026 is contingent on the UK government finalizing its approval process for these operations. For fleet operations, Waymo plans to use Moove, a company that already manages its autonomous vehicles in Phoenix. Waymo has increasingly relied on partners to share the responsibilities of operating a robotaxi service. In Austin and Atlanta, its partner Uber splits the duties of owning and operating a fleet of driverless vehicles. Uber handles charging, maintenance, cleaning, and manages access to the robotaxis through its app. Waymo, meanwhile, monitors the technology and autonomous operations, including roadside assistance and certain rider support functions.
Waymo has significantly increased its testing and commercial operations over the past two years, expanding beyond its initial market in Phoenix to several other US cities, including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The company also has plans to offer a commercial robotaxi service in Miami, Nashville, and Washington DC.