Waymo is preparing to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Munich, marking the company’s planned entry into Germany. In the coming weeks, Waymo vehicles will begin manually driving on Munich streets to create high-definition maps and test the Waymo Driver with trained autonomous-vehicle specialists behind the wheel. Waymo aims to make commercial rides available to the public toward the end of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. Waymo says it has completed more than 20 million trips and serves hundreds of thousands of commercial rides each week. The company is engaging local, Bavarian and federal authorities on the approvals required for German operations, and says it plans to invest in local fleet operations and high-skilled jobs. Christian Hirte, parliamentary state secretary in Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport, said Germany has established a legal framework for autonomous driving and that Waymo is planning the country’s first regular commercial autonomous-vehicle operation. Waymo says data from more than 350 million fully autonomous kilometres shows 16 times fewer crashes involving serious injuries than human drivers, 14 times fewer pedestrian crashes involving injuries, and six times fewer cyclist crashes involving injuries. Bavarian officials said they intend to reduce bureaucracy and regulatory barriers to accelerate deployment.

Waymo is expanding its autonomous vehicle services to Portland, Oregon, collaborating with state and city officials and community partners to establish a regulatory framework for deployment. Manual driving operations will commence as part of the groundwork for future service in the city.

Waymo states that expecting driverless taxis to respect bike lanes is unrealistic, as customers prefer being dropped off in those areas. The Highway Code prohibits motorists from driving or parking in cycle lanes during operational times, but Waymo argues that customer convenience takes precedence.