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American company Waymo has declared that its driverless taxis will be on offer for use on London's roads starting next year.

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

The UK capital will emerge as the pioneering European city to host an self-driving taxi service, similar to those already in use in multiple US cities and several American locations employing Waymo's advanced platform.

Preliminary Testing Phase to Commence with Human Specialists.

Waymo stated that its fleet are currently traveling to London and will start navigating on the city's streets in the near future with trained human specialists behind the wheel.

The company – initially established as a derivative from Google's autonomous vehicle initiative and belonging to the Alphabet family – explained it would scale up services and collaborate with the UK transport authorities and Transport for London to secure the essential licenses to provide totally self-driving services by 2026.

Growing Involvement in Self-Driving Transport Across London.

Further organizations, such as Uber and the UK-based tech company Wayve, have likewise declared their own intentions to trial driverless cabs in the city next year.

This comes after the British government stating it would fast-track rules allowing public testing to proceed before legislation allowing self-driving vehicles is enacted in full.

“It is exciting that Waymo aims to bring their technology to London next year, under our planned trial program,” commented the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander.

“Boosting the AV sector will improve available transport options while also creating work, funding, and opportunities to the UK. Innovative funding like this will assist in achieving our mission to be world leaders in advanced innovation and lead economic growth.”

Comprehensive Introduction Projected After New Legislation Takes Effect.

A fuller rollout of autonomous cabs is expected in the UK after the related legislation fully takes effect in late 2027.

The Company's Existing Ties in the UK and Internationally.

Waymo currently has ties to the UK after launching its first European engineering hub in Oxford in 2019.

The company is also starting services in Tokyo using JLR eco-friendly cars, marking its second current operation beyond the United States.

“Evidence confirms how to safely expand completely driverless ride-hailing, and we can’t wait to bring the advantages of our systems to the United Kingdom,” stated the company executive, noting that the innovation was “making roads safer and mobility more accessible”.

Established Track Record in the United States.

Waymo introduced its driverless cabs in 2020 and now reports it has carried more than a vast number of riders in the United States.

Despite some alarming incidents, Waymo indicated that evidence showed that cars controlled by humans were associated with crashes that hurt walkers 12 times more often than its driverless fleet.