LONDON: The streets of London could soon see driverless taxis as U.S. tech giant Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, prepares to launch its autonomous ride-hailing service in the British capital — the company’s first venture in Europe.
Waymo confirmed that its self-driving cars, equipped with human “safety drivers,” will begin trials in the coming weeks as part of preparations to offer fully autonomous rides by 2026.
According to a report by The Guardian, the move follows growing government support for driverless mobility and comes after the U.K. fast-tracked rules to permit public trials ahead of full legislation under the Automated Vehicles Act, expected to take effect in 2027.
The initiative marks a major step in the global expansion of autonomous transport, already in use across several U.S. cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
The company says its 2,000-vehicle fleet has provided over 10 million rides in the U.S. and that the data shows human-driven cars are 12 times more likely to injure pedestrians than its AI-powered vehicles.
Waymo’s London rollout will be conducted in collaboration with Transport for London and the Department for Transport, both of which are expected to monitor safety and public acceptance closely.
Skepticism from London’s Black-Cab Drivers
Despite optimism from policymakers, many of London’s traditional taxi drivers remain deeply skeptical. Steve McNamara, head of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, dismissed the project as a “tourist attraction,” arguing that driverless cars frequently malfunction in U.S. cities.
“They often lock up in the middle of junctions,” he said. “Police have to wait for the Waymo guy to reboot them.”
He added that London’s irregular road network and heavy traffic would prove far more challenging for autonomous vehicles than the grid systems of U.S. cities.
Still, the U.K. government has hailed Waymo’s entry as a milestone. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the expansion would “bring jobs, investment, and innovation” and position Britain as a leader in next-generation transport technology.
Waymo already operates an engineering hub in Oxford and has announced similar international projects in Tokyo using Jaguar Land Rover’s electric vehicles — its only other operations outside the U.S.
