Inside Waymo’s Plan to Launch Robotaxis in London

In Focus

• Waymo plans to introduce robotaxis in London in 2026
• This will be Waymo’s first robotaxi deployment in the European Market
• Vehicle financing firm, Moove will maintain Waymo fleets in London

Waymo has announced plans to introduce its self-driving ride-hailing services in London. According to CNBC, Waymo’s London robotaxi launch will be the first for the Alphabet-owned company in the European market.

Test Drives will Have Safety Specialists

The U.S. ride-hailing firm plans to introduce Waymo autonomous taxis in the U.K in 2026, subject to regulatory approval. As it prepares to expand to Europe, Waymo said it will commence test drives on London roads over the next few months.

During the test drives, Waymo will have human safety specialists behind the wheel.
Waymo has expanded steadily across the U.S. despite facing costly technology and tough regulations.

The company’s 2,000 vehicle fleet makes it the largest provider of paid robotaxi service in the U.S. Wells Fargo projections show Waymo could capture 10% of rideshare trips in the U.S. over the next five years.

Waymo’s Strategy to Expand Outside the U.S.

Waymo is leveraging partnerships with fleet operators and ride-hailing platforms to further expand outside U.S borders. London will be the second international city where Waymo tests its autonomous vehicles.

At the beginning of 2025 the company started testing robotaxis in Tokyo, Japan. Waymo has partnered with Go, which runs a taxi hailing mobile app, and with a taxi firm called Nihon Kotsu. In London, Waymo will compete against Uber. In June 2025, Uber partnered with Wayve to introduce driverless cars on London roads starting 2026.

How is Waymo Partnering with Moove for Operations?

In London, the company will partner with Moove, a car financing firm that supports drivers who wish to buy new vehicles for ride-hailing. Moove will be responsible for fleet maintenance and operations.

The company also offers cleaning, EV charging, and repair services to transportation firms, including Uber. Waymo’s London fleet will consist of Jaguar iPACE electric vehicles. The EVs will be equipped with Waymo’s Driver autonomous systems. Waymo said it already has engineering teams in London and Oxford.

Waymo London Robotaxi Launch at a Glance

• Waymo’s London test drives will commence in the coming months
• London is Waymo’s second international city after Tokyo, Japan
• Waymo London fleets will consist Jaguar iPACE EVs
• In London, the robotaxi firm will be taking on Uber and Wayve

U.K.’s Plan to Attract Driverless Vehicle Investments

Waymo brings driverless cars to London at a time when the U.K. is seeking to attract self-driving investments. The country unveiled an accelerated framework to support commercial pilots by autonomous vehicle ventures in June 2025.

The U.K. also wants to enhance transportation safety. At the beginning of 2025, London adopted the Vision Zero goal at the beginning of the year in a bid to eliminate deaths and serious injuries in its transport systems by 2041. Waymo could make a significant contribution to this goal.

“We’re thrilled to bring the reliability, safety and magic of Waymo to Londoners. Waymo is making roads safer and transportation more accessible where we operate. We’ve demonstrated how to responsibly scale fully autonomous ride-hailing, and we can’t wait to expand the benefits of our technology to the U.K,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said.

Waymo has Completed Millions of Paid Rides

Waymo says its driverless cars have logged 100 million fully autonomous miles on public roads and offered over 10 million paid rides. The self-driving taxi firm currently offers commercial ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Georgia, and Atlanta.

The company partners with Moove to support fleet operations, charging infrastructure, and facilities in Phoenix. Waymo plans to extend this partnership to cover Miami in 2026. The robotaxi company is also working to expand to Nashville, Tennessee next year.

In September 2025, Waymo partnered with Lyft to introduce robotaxis services to Nashville. This is the first commercial deployment of Waymo robotaxis on the Lyft ride-hailing network. Uber offers Waymo robotaxis on its app in Austin and Atlanta.