Waymo's self-driving electric taxis are coming to the UK

The iconic black cabs of London may soon have some high-tech competition. Waymo has announced it is bringing its fleet of all-electric robotaxis to the busy streets of the United Kingdom's capital.

Waymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. and has been steadily growing its presence across the United States. This year, Waymo launched its services in Austin, Texas, and has its sights set on other major cities like Dallas and Nashville.

The London expansion comes on the heels of its late 2024 announcement to begin testing in Tokyo, Japan. Clearly, the company has an ambitious strategy for worldwide growth.

The rollout in London will be a carefully managed process. Waymo will spend the next few months testing its technology on the city's complex and narrow roads. This way the company can collect all the data it needs to make sure its self-driving taxis can safely deal with the unique challenges of London's traffic.

Before any member of the public can actually hail a ride, Waymo will need to secure the necessary permissions from local authorities, but when the service eventually goes live, Londoners will see a fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles navigating the city's streets.

To manage its London operations, Waymo is partnering with Moove, an existing fleet partner, which will provide support and expertise in the local market.

The vision for Waymo in London is a seamless and convenient transportation option for everyone. Once the service is fully operational, which is expected by 2026, residents and visitors will be able to book a self-driving taxi using the app on their smartphones.

Waymo promises to provide a safe, reliable, and accessible way to get around the city, and the company claims its service helps to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. Obviously, these are long-term goals and benefits won't be visible from day one. In fact, we'll probably see some spectacular hiccups on the way, but eventually, there will be measurable improvements.

Tekedra Mawakana, the co-CEO of Waymo, expressed her excitement about the London expansion, highlighting the company's commitment to safety and accessibility. "We're thrilled to bring the reliability, safety and magic of Waymo to Londoners," she said. "We've demonstrated how to responsibly scale fully autonomous ride-hailing, and we can't wait to expand the benefits of our technology to the United Kingdom."

As Waymo takes its first steps in London, we will be watching closely as the American tech giant reshapes urban mobility in one of the world's most historic cities. Who will follow next? Will it be Tesla with its not-self-driving Robotaxi service?

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