Waymo to begin testing autonomous vehicles in Munich

Uber Technologies

25/08/2026 16:34

Aug 25 (Reuters) - Self-driving technology company Waymo said on Tuesday it would begin testing its autonomous vehicles in Munich in the coming weeks, laying the groundwork for a commercial ride-hailing service in Germany that it aims to launch toward the end of 2027.

Here are more details:
Waymo said its vehicles would initially drive manually across Munich to map local roads and test with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel.
The Alphabet-owned company said the testing period will help its autonomous driving system adapt to Munich's driving conditions before commercial operations begin.
The company said it is already engaging with local, state and federal officials on regulatory approvals needed to offer its service in Germany.
Waymo said it plans to invest in local fleet operations and create high-skilled jobs as it prepares to launch in Munich.
Uber UBER.N, Verne and Pony.ai PONY.O launched autonomous rides in Zagreb last week, making the Croatian capital the first European city where users could book a self-driving vehicle through Uber's app.
Waymo raised $16 billion earlier this year at a $126 billion valuation as it expands its robotaxi business.

 (Reporting by Anzar Mehraj in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
 ((Anzar.Mehraj@thomsonreuters.com;))