Forget Uber, Waymo’s driverless taxis will arrive in London in 2026

By now, you’ve probably all seen the video of the man who got trapped in a driverless Waymo in Arizona, almost missing his flight, that went viral earlier this year.

Well, we’ve good news if you live in London and you’re looking for a new excuse as to why you’re over half an hour late (again) for that Very Important board meeting, and it’s absolutely, definitely not because you overslept.

That’s because the US firm has announced that it’s bringing its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to our capital in 2026 – hot on the heels of Uber.

Yep, from next year you’ll be able to order a driverless taxi, the first city outside of the US and Japan to get the service, to take you home after you’ve had one too many at the pub. No more making awkward small talk with the cab driver at last!

According to the firm, in the US Waymo’s fleet already has one hundred million autonomous miles on public roads under its belt, and provided more than ten million paid rides.

“We’re thrilled to bring the reliability, safety and magic of Waymo to Londoners,” said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. 

“Waymo is making roads safer and transportation more accessible where we operate. 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.”

“I’m delighted that Waymo intends to bring their services to London next year, under our proposed piloting scheme,” added secretary of state for transport Heidi Alexander. 

“Boosting the AV sector will increase accessible transport options alongside bringing jobs, investment, and opportunities to the UK.”

For now, it’s watch this space...