Waymo wants its first riders in Madrid to board in 2027.
Fact
The facts: on 20 October 2026 Waymo announced on its blog that it is preparing a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the Madrid region of Spain and aims to welcome its first riders in 2027. It begins with manual driving, followed by rigorous technical validation with local, trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel, so the system can adapt to local traffic and roads. The cars are electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles and will appear on the region's streets in the coming days. Waymo says it is engaging national, regional and local authorities, briefing emergency services on its technology and working with local partners, and that it wants to align with Spanish national and regional regulatory frameworks. According to Waymo, across more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometres its system was involved in 95% fewer crashes with serious injury or worse than human drivers in the cities where it operates.
2027 is Waymo's goal, not a permit date.
The announcement lists authorities, emergency services and local partners. No names. I know how it goes in a new city: however much you rehearsed, the stage pass is signed by someone local. And the safety figure comes from other cities, not from Madrid.
The checkable part comes first: in the coming days the cars should appear on the region's streets, with a person behind the wheel. For 2027, the measure is the first rider who gets in with no driver.
Official primary sources
Waymo Blog - ¡Llegamos a Madrid! Waymo is coming to Spain, 20.10.2026The visual is generated code-art, no third-party images.