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American company Waymo has revealed that its autonomous taxis will be on offer for hire on London's thoroughfares starting next year.

UK Capital Named as Leading European City for Autonomous Cab Service.

London will be established as the inaugural European city to launch an self-driving taxi service, comparable with those currently operational in San Francisco and several American urban centers employing Waymo's cutting-edge technology.

Preliminary Operations to Start with Human Specialists.

Waymo confirmed that its fleet are currently heading to London and will commence navigating on the city's public roads in the next few weeks with trained human specialists supervising the vehicles.

Waymo – originally formed as a derivative from Google's autonomous vehicle initiative and part of the Alphabet family – indicated it would expand operations and partner with the UK transport authorities and Transport for London to secure the necessary permissions to provide totally self-driving services by 2026.

Increasing Involvement in Self-Driving Transport In London.

Other companies, such as Uber and the British technology firm Wayve, have also declared their own strategies to test self-driving vehicles in the city next year.

This comes after the UK authorities confirming it would fast-track regulations allowing real-world tests to take place before laws supporting self-driving vehicles becomes law in full.

“I am thrilled that Waymo aims to introduce their technology to London next year, under our suggested trial program,” stated the official, the secretary.

“Supporting the AV market will improve inclusive transport options alongside creating employment, investment, and possibilities to the UK. Advanced support like this will assist in achieving our goal to be international frontrunners in advanced innovation and lead countrywide development.”

Full Rollout Expected After New Legislation Is Enforced.

A more extensive introduction of self-driving cabs is projected in the UK after the related legislation comes completely into force in late 2027.

The Company's Existing Presence in the United Kingdom and Internationally.

Waymo currently has ties to the UK after establishing its first European technical center in Oxford in 2019.

The company is furthermore starting operations in Tokyo using Jaguar Land Rover eco-friendly cars, marking its sole additional existing operation outside the United States.

“Our experience shows how to responsibly scale completely driverless ride-hailing, and we can’t wait to expand the benefits of our technology to the United Kingdom,” remarked the company executive, explaining that the innovation was “making roads safer and mobility more inclusive”.

Proven Track Record in the US.

Waymo introduced its driverless cabs in 2020 and now states it has transported over 10 million customers in the US.

In spite of some troubling incidents, Waymo indicated that statistics revealed that vehicles driven by drivers were associated with crashes that harmed pedestrians significantly more frequently than its self-driving cars.