Waymo announced on Wednesday that it plans to introduce a commercial robotaxi service in London in 2026, marking its second international expansion after Tokyo.
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation fueled by London-based job postings. Waymo already has a presence in the U.K. through its 2019 acquisition of Latent Logic, a startup spun out of Oxford University’s computer science department. The company uses imitation learning to make self-driving car simulations more realistic and launched an engineering hub in Oxford following the acquisition.
Waymo said its all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, equipped with self-driving technology, will begin operating on London’s public roads in the coming weeks. Initially, human safety drivers will be behind the wheel, before the company moves to driverless testing and eventually allows the public to hail its robotaxis—a strategy previously used in Phoenix and San Francisco.
Waymo did not provide details on when human safety drivers would be removed or the size of the testing fleet. Spokesperson Ethan Teicher confirmed the company intends to operate a self-driving car service for public riders next year. The exact 2026 launch will depend on approval from the U.K. government.
The company plans to use Moove, which manages Waymo’s autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, to handle fleet operations in London. This mirrors Waymo’s approach in U.S. cities, where partners like Uber share responsibilities such as charging, maintenance, cleaning, and app-based access to robotaxis, while Waymo oversees the technology, autonomous operations, roadside assistance, and some rider support.
Over the past two years, Waymo has expanded testing and commercial operations beyond Phoenix to U.S. cities including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The company also plans to launch commercial robotaxi services in Miami, Nashville, and Washington, DC.
Waymo’s London expansion highlights its continued growth in autonomous vehicle services and its strategy of partnering with local operators to scale its robotaxi operations internationally.
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