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The US-based enterprise Waymo has announced that its self-driving vehicles will be available for hire on London's roads beginning next year.

UK Capital Named as Pioneering European City for Autonomous Cab Service.

London will emerge as the inaugural European city to host an driverless taxi service, comparable with those currently in use in multiple US cities and several American cities using Waymo's advanced technology.

Initial Operations to Commence with Trained Operators.

Waymo announced that its fleet are now en route to London and will begin operating on the capital's streets in the coming weeks with trained human specialists behind the wheel.

The company – originally established as a offshoot from the tech giant's autonomous vehicle project and belonging to the same parent group – explained it would expand services and collaborate with the UK transport authorities and London's transport agency to acquire the essential licenses to offer completely driverless services by 2026.

Increasing Presence in Self-Driving Mobility Across London.

Other companies, including Uber and the British technology firm Wayve, have also announced their own strategies to trial autonomous vehicles in the city next year.

This comes after the government officials stating it would fast-track regulations enabling real-world tests to occur before laws supporting autonomous cars becomes law in full.

“I'm delighted that Waymo aims to introduce their offerings to London next year, under our proposed piloting scheme,” said the government minister, Heidi Alexander.

“Strengthening the AV sector will improve accessible transport options alongside generating employment, investment, and opportunities to the UK. Innovative support like this will assist in achieving our objective to be global pioneers in emerging tech and drive economic growth.”

Comprehensive Launch Anticipated After Automated Vehicles Act Comes into Force.

A fuller deployment of autonomous vehicles is anticipated in the UK after the related legislation is fully implemented in the latter part of 2027.

Waymo's Established Ties in the UK and Internationally.

Waymo already has connections to the UK after opening its first European research base in Oxford in 2019.

The company is furthermore starting services in Tokyo using JLR EVs, marking its sole additional existing project outside the United States.

“Evidence confirms how to effectively grow fully autonomous transport solutions, and we are eager to extend the advantages of our platform to the Britain,” stated the company executive, noting that the technology was “improving road safety and mobility more available”.

Established History in the United States.

Waymo launched its driverless vehicles in 2020 and currently claims it has served in excess of ten million customers in the United States.

In spite of some alarming incidents, Waymo asserted that statistics demonstrated that vehicles driven by humans were involved in crashes that injured walkers at a much higher rate than its autonomous vehicles.