Driverless cars are set to begin appearing on London’s streets later this year, but questions remain over how quickly the technology will move from test phase to everyday transport – and whether the litmus test of having these cars operate in one of the busiest city’s in the world will be a successful one that can be rolled out elsewhere.

Waymo, Google’s self-driving car division, has confirmed plans to open its service to riders in London, with full operations expected by the end of 2026 (the company is hoping for a September launch), subject to regulatory approval – though the path to this is far from clear.

Around 24 Waymo vehicles are already operating on London roads, although they are currently driven by humans. This stage of the programme focuses on mapping and data collection, allowing the vehicles to build a detailed understanding of the city’s road network.

The next phase will involve testing with a safety driver at the wheel, as per government’s code of practice for autonomous vehicles. Only after this will the cars operate without a human driver, enabling passengers to be driven to their destination entirely autonomously.

“Our intent is to open to riders later this year. That’s contingent on government approvals,” Waymo spokesperson Ethan Teicher told Sky News.

The company has said it hopes to be running a robotaxi service in London as soon as September this year. A pilot service is expected to launch in April, with government support already in place. Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “We’re supporting Waymo and other operators through our passenger pilots, and pro-innovation regulations to make self-driving cars a reality on British roads.”

However, while Waymo is pushing for a 2025 launch, the UK government has stated that it plans to change regulations in the second half of 2026 to formally enable driverless taxis to operate in the capital, without providing a specific date.

Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, showcased a fleet of its vehicles at London’s Transport Museum on Wednesday. Greenwood attended the event and said she expected autonomous vehicles to improve road safety in cities.

“We know that unlike human drivers, automated vehicles don’t get tired, don’t get distracted and don’t drive under the influence,” she said.

She also cautioned that the technology must meet strict safety requirements before being approved for UK roads, “including protection from hacking and cyber threats”.

The government estimates that the autonomous vehicle industry could contribute £42bn to the UK economy by 2035 and create nearly 40,000 jobs, positioning the sector as a significant growth opportunity for the country’s technology and transport industries.

Once regulations permit, passengers will be able to hail Waymo robotaxis through an app. Airport drop-offs will not be included initially.

Waymo’s vehicles rely on four sensor systems – lidar, vision, radar and microphone – to gather data from their surroundings. The company says this setup allows the cars to maintain 360-degree awareness, detect objects as far as three football fields ahead and operate during poor weather conditions.

Competition in the UK market is expected to be strong. Rival companies Uber and Lyft have both said they are ready to launch robotaxi services once regulations change. Waymo’s vehicles are Jaguars, while Uber and Lyft have partnered with the Chinese firm Baidu.

Waymo says its cars have driven a total of 173 million miles fully autonomously, primarily in the United States. The company currently operates a fleet of 1,000 robotaxis in San Francisco and 700 in Los Angeles, experience it hopes will support a smoother rollout in London — whenever the regulatory green light finally arrives.

Image source: Waymo