Waymo plans fully autonomous Madrid ride-hailing service for 2027

Waymo plans to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Spain’s Madrid region in 2027, its first deployment in the country. Alphabet’s self-driving unit said electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles would begin appearing on Madrid streets in the coming days with trained specialists behind the wheel before autonomous operations start.

The service will operate under Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic testing framework. That regulatory pathway matters as Waymo moves from its established US markets into a European capital where permits, safety validation and operating rules will shape the launch timetable.

Expansion beyond the United States

Waymo said it also aims to launch in London this year, Tokyo in 2027 with Nihon Kotsu and Go subject to regulatory approval, and Toronto in 2028 with Element Fleet Management. The company says its fleet operates in more than 15 US cities, completes over 500,000 paid rides a week and has surpassed 20 million paid rides. Its safety comparison—95% fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse over more than 400 million autonomous kilometres—comes from Waymo’s own data and should be read as a company-reported measure, not an independent guarantee.

Image: Waymo (caption requested by source: “Source: Waymo.”).

Sources

Reuters