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American firm Waymo has declared that its driverless cabs will be available for booking on London's streets starting next year.

London Becomes First European City for Self-Driving Taxi Service.

The UK capital will become the inaugural European city to launch an autonomous taxi service, akin to those currently in use in multiple US cities and several American cities using Waymo's advanced technology.

First Operations to Begin with Safety Drivers.

Waymo confirmed that its cars are now heading to London and will begin navigating on the capital's public roads in the coming weeks with safety drivers supervising the vehicles.

Waymo – initially formed as a spin-off from the tech giant's self-driving car initiative and part of the Alphabet family – indicated it would scale up activities and work closely with the Department for Transport and the city's mobility organization to obtain the essential approvals to offer completely driverless rides by 2026.

Growing Involvement in Autonomous Mobility In London.

Further firms, such as Uber and the UK-based technology firm Wayve, have likewise declared their own intentions to test driverless cabs in the city next year.

This follows the UK authorities confirming it would accelerate rules permitting real-world tests to take place before laws supporting autonomous cars passes in full.

“I'm delighted that Waymo aims to launch their offerings to London next year, under our proposed piloting scheme,” commented the government minister, the secretary.

“Boosting the autonomous vehicle industry will improve inclusive transport options alongside bringing jobs, investment, and opportunities to the UK. Cutting-edge investment like this will support our objective to be international frontrunners in advanced innovation and spearhead countrywide development.”

Comprehensive Rollout Projected After New Legislation Is Enforced.

A more extensive rollout of driverless cabs is projected in the UK after the new law is fully implemented in the latter part of 2027.

Waymo's Established Connections in the UK and Beyond.

Waymo currently has links to Britain after launching its first European research base in Oxford in 2019.

The company is also introducing offerings in Tokyo using JLR EVs, marking its sole additional existing venture outside the United States.

“Evidence confirms how to effectively grow completely driverless ride-hailing, and we look forward to expand the benefits of our platform to the Britain,” said Tekedra Mawakana, explaining that the technology was “making roads safer and mobility more available”.

Proven History in the United States.

Waymo began its autonomous taxis in 2020 and currently states it has carried in excess of ten million customers in the United States.

In spite of some concerning incidents, Waymo asserted that evidence showed that cars driven by humans were associated with crashes that harmed walkers 12 times more often than its self-driving cars.