The US Firm's Autonomous Vehicles Planned for London Streets Next Year.
American company Waymo has revealed that its driverless vehicles will be operational for booking on London's streets starting next year.
UK Capital Named as First European City for Self-Driving Ride-Hailing.
London will emerge as the inaugural European city to launch an autonomous taxi service, similar to those currently familiar in multiple US cities and several American urban centers using Waymo's innovative systems.
Preliminary Testing Phase to Start with Human Specialists.
Waymo confirmed that its fleet are currently heading to London and will begin driving on the capital's public roads in the coming weeks with experienced operators supervising the vehicles.
Waymo – originally established as a spin-off from the tech giant's autonomous vehicle project and belonging to the Alphabet family – stated it would expand operations and partner with the UK transport authorities and the city's mobility organization to secure the necessary approvals to deliver completely driverless trips by 2026.
Expanding Interest in Autonomous Mobility In London.
Other organizations, such as Uber and the British technology firm Wayve, have additionally revealed their own plans to test self-driving cabs in the capital next year.
This is in response to the government officials announcing it would fast-track guidelines enabling public testing to proceed before laws enabling autonomous cars becomes law in full.
“I am thrilled that Waymo aims to introduce their technology to London next year, under our planned trial program,” commented the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“Strengthening the autonomous vehicle industry will enhance accessible transport options alongside generating employment, capital, and prospects to the UK. Innovative investment like this will support our mission to be world leaders in emerging tech and spearhead economic growth.”
Comprehensive Rollout Anticipated After New Legislation Comes into Force.
A broader introduction of autonomous vehicles is expected in the UK after the related legislation fully takes effect in 2027.
The Company's Existing Connections in the UK and Beyond.
Waymo currently has connections to Britain after launching its first European engineering hub in Oxford in 2019.
The company is additionally starting operations in Tokyo using JLR EVs, marking its second existing operation beyond the United States.
“We've demonstrated how to safely expand totally self-driving taxi services, and we look forward to extend the benefits of our systems to the UK,” remarked Waymo's co-chief executive, explaining that the technology was “making roads safer and travel more available”.
Established Track Record in the United States.
Waymo launched its autonomous cabs in 2020 and now claims it has transported over 10 million passengers in the United States.
Regardless of some troubling events, Waymo stated that statistics revealed that vehicles controlled by humans were linked to incidents that harmed walkers significantly more frequently than its driverless cars.