Germans are going to start seeing Waymo taxis roaming their streets within the coming weeks, the company announced Tuesday.
More specifically, Waymos are going to be driving around Munich, albeit not under their own control. Instead, these Waymo taxis are going to be manually driven by the company’s “trained autonomous specialists” as they map the streets of Bavaria’s capital. Manually driving around Munich will help its cars map the city’s street network, as well as collect data on its “distinct driving conditions.”
“Munich is a world-class hub for mobility and engineering, and becoming part of this city marks an important milestone in our global expansion,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a release. “As we prepare to launch, earning the community’s trust is our top priority. We look forward to investing in local fleet operations, creating high-skilled jobs, and delivering a safe, reliable service for residents and visitors alike.”
Waymo has been offering self-driving taxis in several different cities in the U.S. for a while, now, with more on the way. Munich is part of its European expansion, with London as its other Transatlantic operation. But Waymo doesn’t plan to offer commercial robotaxi ride-hailing to Germans until late 2027, and that’s if everything goes according to plan. However, it seems as though the German government is into the idea.
Photo by: Waymo
“Autonomous driving is the key to the mobility of the future. We aim to make Germany a global leader in autonomous driving innovation and manufacturing. We have already put in place the legal framework for this. Waymo, the world’s leading provider of commercial robotaxi services, has now recognized Germany’s potential as a location offering legal certainty,” Christian Hirte, parliamentary state secretary in the federal ministry of transport, said in a release.
Waymo will need to handle different challenges in Munich than it does in the U.S. The pedestrian, public transport, and cyclist network is significantly different in Munich, so Waymo needs to not only avoid interfering with them but complement them.
It will be interesting to see how Germans accept Waymo. It’s become commonplace in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, but to see how well it works and how well it’s embraced in a very different environment will be fascinating.
