Waymo to launch its first EU robotaxi service in Munich

Alphabet ↗ 1.53%-owned Waymo announced on Tuesday that it will begin testing autonomous vehicles in Munich in the coming weeks, marking the first step toward launching a commercial ride-hailing service in Germany by the end of 2027. Munich will be Waymo's first market in the European Union.reuters+1

The company said vehicles will initially be driven manually across Munich to build high-definition maps and collect data on local road conditions. Supervised testing with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel will follow, before the service opens to paying riders.zagdaily

"Munich is a world-class hub for mobility and engineering, and becoming part of this city marks an important milestone in our global expansion," said co-chief executive Tekedra Mawakana.thenextweb

German Officials Welcome the Move

The announcement drew statements from both federal and state officials. Christian Hirte, parliamentary state secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport, said Waymo "has now recognised Germany's potential as a location offering legal certainty," pointing to Germany's 2021 Act on Autonomous Driving, which created a legal framework for Level 4 vehicles to operate on public roads.eletric-vehicles

Bavaria's Florian Herrmann pushed for speed: "Now we need to move quickly from testing to real-world deployment," he said, promising to "cut red tape and remove regulatory barriers."thenextweb

European Expansion Accelerates

Munich is Waymo's second European city after London, where it has been testing with safety operators since the spring and aims to begin commercial operations in the coming weeks. The company has also established subsidiaries in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in recent months, signaling a broader continental push.engadget+2

The expansion comes as competition in European autonomous mobility intensifies. Uber ↗ 2.43%, Verne, and Pony.ai ↗ 0.80% launched autonomous rides in Zagreb last week, making it the first European city where riders could book a self-driving vehicle through Uber's app.reuters

Waymo said it currently operates more than 3,500 vehicles across 11 U.S. cities and provides more than 500,000 paid trips per week. The company raised $16 billion earlier this year at a $126 billion valuation.zagdaily+1