By now, most people have seen the viral video of a man getting trapped inside a driverless Waymo in Arizona, frantically trying to make his flight — a moment that sparked both laughter and debate about the future of autonomous travel. Soon, that future will arrive in the UK capital.

Waymo, the self-driving technology company owned by Alphabet, has announced plans to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in London in 2026, marking the city’s debut as the first location outside the US and Japan to welcome the service.

The company, which already operates autonomous fleets in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, says its vehicles have driven over 100 million autonomous miles on public roads and completed 10 million paid rides.

“We’re thrilled to bring the reliability, safety and magic of Waymo to Londoners,” said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “We’ve demonstrated how to scale fully autonomous ride-hailing responsibly, and we can’t wait to expand the benefits of our technology to the United Kingdom.”

The service will allow passengers to order a driverless taxi via the Waymo app, potentially changing how Londoners commute home after a night out — or avoid small talk on their way to work.

The UK government has welcomed the move, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander calling it a major step forward for the country’s mobility sector: “Boosting the AV sector will increase accessible transport options alongside bringing jobs, investment, and opportunities to the UK.”

The London rollout will take place under a proposed piloting scheme designed to integrate autonomous vehicles into the city’s transport ecosystem safely.

For now, Waymo’s arrival signals a new chapter in London’s tech-driven transport revolution — one where you may soon be sharing the road not with another cab driver, but with a car that drives itself.

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Waymo will launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in London in 2026, making it the first city outside the US and Japan to host the self-driving taxi fleet.