Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, has announced its intention to launch a robotaxi service in Munich, Germany. The company, which established an entity in Germany months prior, anticipates opening commercial ride-hailing to the public towards the end of 2027.
Before launching commercial operations, Waymo must complete mapping and testing, and clear regulatory hurdles. This process will involve manually driving vehicles to map Munich's streets, followed by testing autonomous vehicles with human safety drivers before their removal.
Waymo is collaborating with Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), state authorities, and local officials. Germany's legal framework for Level 4 autonomous driving, adopted over five years ago, has made it a significant location for autonomous vehicle testing.
The UK, particularly London, is also emerging as a key area for robotaxi development. Waymo has stated plans to launch a commercial service in London in 2026, where it will compete with other companies like Wayve and Baidu.