Waymo Is Bringing Robotaxis to London by 2026
Waymo’s London rollout will lean on local partner Moove to manage its self-driving fleet.
London residents are about to witness a transport revolution already reshaping American cities.
Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car division, has announced plans to launch its fully autonomous taxi service in London by 2026. This marks its first major European debut after years of fine-tuning the technology across cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
In the coming weeks, the company’s all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles will begin driving on London’s public roads. For now, safety drivers will remain behind the wheel, a cautious first step that mirrors Waymo’s approach in San Francisco and Phoenix, before the cars eventually go fully driverless and invite the public to ride. Once approved, London will become Waymo’s second market outside the U.S., following its recent entry into Japan.
This expansion signals how aggressively Waymo is pursuing global dominance in the robotaxi space. In the U.S., its 1,500-vehicle fleet already handles about 250,000 paid trips weekly across major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta. Taking on London, a city known for its unpredictable traffic, narrow streets, and unique driving culture, could be the company’s most ambitious test yet.
While Waymo hasn’t shared how many vehicles will roll out initially or when it plans to remove human drivers entirely, the company’s 2026 target hinges on the UK government finalising its regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles. To manage operations locally, Waymo will partner with Moove, which already handles its fleets in Phoenix, overseeing charging, maintenance, and cleaning.
The model, where Waymo focuses on the self-driving tech while local partners handle fleet logistics, reflects how the robotaxi industry is evolving. Rather than building everything in-house, companies are leaning on collaborations to scale faster and adapt to local regulations.
But Waymo won’t be the only self-driving player in town. London-based startup Wayve, working with Uber, is also gearing up for a 2026 debut. That sets the stage for a fascinating competition between a Silicon Valley giant and a homegrown contender, each trying to convince Londoners that AI can handle the city’s chaotic roads better than humans.
If all goes as planned, within a few years, hailing a cab in London might no longer involve a driver, just an app, an electric car, and a quiet sense that the future has finally arrived.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
