On 24 September Waymo published its vision for a driverless service in London under the UK scheme for automated passenger services. The scheme needs approval from the Department for Transport and consent from Transport for London. For now there is no permit, and Waymo says it is ready to earn one.
- Waymo will apply under the Automated Passenger Services scheme, introduced after the 2024 Automated Vehicles Act.
- The company cites 94% fewer crashes with serious or fatal injuries where it already operates, per its own data.
- Waymo says it is already investing tens of millions of pounds in London and that the service will be backed by hundreds of jobs.
This is a plan, not a launch. It needs saying in the first sentence, because the headlines will get it wrong.
Waymo wants to drive in London with no one behind the wheel. For that, two signatures are needed: from the UK Department for Transport and from Transport for London. Today the company published the arguments it will use to ask for them.
Where the work is
The text is written for the mayor, not for the passenger. Each of its five points is aligned with London's transport strategy: safety, access, public transport, congestion, jobs. It is a well-staged document, and exactly as much as it should be at this stage.
The safety number is Waymo's and was measured in the cities where it already drives. London is a different city, with different traffic, bicycles everywhere and streets much older than cars.
Waymo writes that London and the UK will lead Europe with the continent's first fully autonomous service. That will be true when both signatures are on paper, not before.