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.
Fact
The facts: on 24 September 2026 Waymo published its “Vision for London” - its plan for a fully autonomous passenger service in London. The company will use the UK's Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme, which, unlike a standard private hire licence, allows rides with no one behind the wheel and requires national approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) and consent from Transport for London (TfL). The scheme follows the 2024 Automated Vehicles Act. Per Waymo, where it operates there are 94% fewer crashes with serious or fatal injuries, 93% fewer injury crashes with pedestrians and 84% fewer with cyclists compared with human drivers; the company cites experience of fully autonomous operations in 15 major cities. Waymo also says that about 60% of guide dog owners in the UK report refusals by ride-hailing services, that it is already investing tens of millions of pounds in London, and that the service will be backed by hundreds of jobs in the UK.
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.
Good statistics from another city are not yet an argument for London.
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.
Official primary sources
Waymo Blog - Our Vision for London: How Waymo can Support a Safer, Connected UK Capital, 24.09.2026The visual is generated code-art, no third-party images.