US driving technology company Weymo has revealed that its driverless taxis will launch in the UK later this year.
The company, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc, revealed previously its plans to launch its driverless vehicles in London, with rival companies Uber and Lyft looking at the same.
The Government plans to change regulations in the second half of 2026 to enable driverless taxis to operate in the city, but has not given a specific date.
Weymo, however, has said it is looking to have robotaxis operating in London as soon as September.
welcome to london @Waymo pic.twitter.com/SjP4f95gor
— Dominik Koch (@dominikkoch) January 28, 2026
How do driverless taxis work?
Waymo self-driving vehicles were spotted undergoing trials in December ahead of the planned launch, with a pilot planned for April.
Waymo currently serves select cities in the US with future expansion into Japan planned as well as the UK.
The cars use a combination of cameras, radar sensors, and lidar sensors, which is a 3D scanning technology.
Cars can see overlapping fields of view in all directions up to 500 metres away and when in full service, have no human safety driver.
There is a computer in the boot of the car that processes data and determines the car's actions and reactions in real time.
The taxis also have a remote operator who can be spoken to through a device in the car.
Waymo says its software, termed the ‘Waymo Driver’, “never gets drunk, tired, or distracted.”
Cars also have steering wheels on the left-hand side due to originally being built in the US.
According to Waymo, testing, mapping, and ‘safety validation work’ will take place in Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster, and the City of London.
Waymo vehicles will “navigate London’s unique streets, understand complex layouts and traffic patterns”.
When launched, Waymo taxis can be ordered on an app, and will not initially include airport drop-offs.
Waymo will not be the only self-driving vehicle in use in London, with Uber previously announcing it would launch self-driving taxis from spring 2026.
Are driverless taxis safe?
Speaking previously, James Gibson, Executive Director of Road Safety GB, said: "The data shows that the Waymo vehicles have performed far safer compared to human drivers across more than 100 million autonomous miles."
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana has also said that the firm is "making roads safer and transportation more accessible where we operate".
According to the Waymo website , there have been 127 million rider-only miles without a human driver as of September 2025.
Compared to human drivers with the average benchmark crash rate if they were to drive the same distance in the areas operated in, Waymo said its driverless taxishave had 90% fewer serious injuries or worse crashes and 82% fewer airbag deployments in any vehicle crashes.
Despite this, there have been instances where passengers have reported cars malfunctioning or getting trapped inside.
A Waymo car recently made the headlines when it crashed into several parked cars while careening downhill in Echo Park in Los Angeles.
Footage showed the vehicle speeding down a steep and narrow street, just missing some bystanders.
Waymo confirmed to the New York Post that an “autonomous specialist” was driving the car in manual mode when it left the roadway and struck several parked cars and that there were no customers inside the vehicle at the time.
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Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said previously: "I’m delighted that Waymo intends to bring their services to London next year, under our proposed piloting scheme.
"Boosting the AV (autonomous vehicle) sector will increase accessible transport options, alongside bringing jobs, investment and opportunities to the UK.
"Cutting-edge investment like this will help us deliver our mission to be world leaders in new technology and spearhead national renewal that delivers real change in our communities."
Would you ride in a driverless taxi? Let us know in the comments.
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