Waymo, the self-driving taxi service owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, aims to operate a driverless robotaxi service in London as early as September.
The firm, which operates in a number of US cities, has long held plans to launch a fully autonomous service in London. However, this is dependent on a number of safety and regulatory approvals.
The government has said it intends to update regulations under the Automated Vehicles Act in the second half of 2026. The Act provides the legal framework for fully self-driving vehicles, setting out how they’re approved, regulated and held accountable. The planned updates will allow driverless services to operate legally on public roads provided they meet strict safety standards.
During a launch event at the London Transport Museum this week, Waymo announced that once safety and regulatory approvals have been secured, it plans to launch a pilot self-driving service with passengers in April.
Waymo operates a fleet of Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis...