Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company Waymo has announced plans to roll out its commercial robotaxi service in London by 2026, marking its second international expansion after Tokyo.

The move, confirmed by the company on Wednesday, comes after weeks of speculation following several London-based job postings hinting at Waymo’s entry into the U.K. market.

Waymo already maintains a strong connection with the country — in 2019, it acquired Latent Logic, a spin-out from Oxford University’s computer science department that specialized in imitation learning for self-driving simulations.

That acquisition also led to the establishment of Waymo’s engineering hub in Oxford.

In a recent blog post, Waymo revealed that its all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, powered by its proprietary self-driving technology, will begin operating on London’s public roads in the coming weeks.

Initially, these vehicles will have human safety drivers behind the wheel during the early testing stages.

Full driverless operations and public ride-hailing services will follow once regulatory approvals are secured — a rollout strategy similar to what Waymo employed in Phoenix and San Francisco.

Although Waymo has not disclosed the number of vehicles in its planned London fleet or the specific timeline for removing human drivers, company spokesperson Ethan Teicher confirmed that the goal is to begin offering public rides next year.

The timing of the full-scale launch, however, will depend on the U.K. government’s final approval process for autonomous vehicle operations.

To support its London operations, Waymo will partner with Moove, a company that currently manages Waymo’s autonomous vehicle fleet in Phoenix.

Moove will handle fleet logistics, including charging, cleaning, and maintenance, while Waymo will focus on technology oversight, roadside assistance, and autonomous operations.

The company’s collaborative model mirrors its partnerships in the U.S., where Uber shares responsibilities for fleet management and customer access through its app in cities like Austin and Atlanta.

Over the past two years, Waymo has significantly expanded its testing and commercial footprint, growing beyond Phoenix into major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, and Atlanta. It also has future plans for Miami, Nashville, and Washington, D.C.

Waymo’s move into London represents not only a strategic expansion into Europe’s transportation landscape but also a major step toward mainstream adoption of autonomous ride-hailing technology in one of the world’s busiest urban centers.

Source: Techcrunch