Driverless Jaguar taxis set for London’s roads next year

US-based technology company Waymo, has announced its driverless taxis will be available for hire on London’s roads from 2026.

London will become the first European city to have an automated taxi service of the kind now available in San Francisco and four other US cities, using Waymo’s technology.

Waymo said its self-driving Jaguar I-Pace taxis will start trials in London shortly with trained human safety drivers behind the wheel.

The firm – originally formed as a spin-off from Google’s self-driving car programme – will work closely with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) to obtain the necessary permissions to offer fully autonomous rides in 2026.

Uber and the UK tech company Wayve have also announced plans to trial driverless taxis in London next year.

It comes after the British Government announced it will fast-track pilot taxi- and bus-like passenger self-driving schemes, before a broader rollout of the technology when the Automated Vehicles Act fully takes effect in late 2027.

James Gibson, executive director of Road Safety GB, said the roll-out of autonomous vehicle “in a progressive yet measured way will be the best approach”.

“Autonomous vehicles, such as Waymo, hold the potential to significantly improve road safety because, quite simply, the human driver is removed,” he said.

“The data shows that the Waymo vehicles have performed far safer compared to human drivers across more than 100 million autonomous miles.”