Waymo is to bring its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to Munich, the company’s first city in Germany, with public robotaxi rides expected to begin in late 2027. The Alphabet-owned firm confirmed the plan this week, and its vehicles will start appearing on Munich’s streets within weeks, driven manually at first as part of a phased testing programme.
The choice of city matters to UK business travellers. Munich is one of the most heavily travelled German destinations for British firms, home to BMW, Siemens and Allianz and a dense trade fair calendar, and its hotel scene is expanding to match with openings such as The Dean’s new 281-room flagship. A driverless alternative at the taxi rank will land in front of a large British audience from day one.
Testing starts on Munich streets within weeks
During the early phase, trained autonomous specialists will drive every vehicle manually while Waymo builds high-definition maps of the city and validates its system on local roads. The goal is to make sure the Waymo Driver, the company’s self-driving technology, adapts to Munich’s specific traffic patterns and road conditions before anyone travels without a person behind the wheel.
The technology arrives with a track record. Waymo says it has completed more than 20 million autonomous trips in its existing cities, and its announcement frames Munich as a full commercial operation in the making, with investment planned in fleet operations and the hiring of high-skilled local staff.
Co-chief executive Tekedra Mawakana called joining Munich an “important milestone” for the company, saying community trust, safety and local job creation would be central to the rollout.
German government backs the robotaxi rollout
Few foreign market entries receive this warm an official welcome. Parliamentary State Secretary Christian Hirte described autonomous driving as “key to the mobility of the future” and noted that Germany has already established a legal framework for commercial robotaxi operations. Waymo’s decision to enter the market, he added, demonstrates the country’s attractiveness for autonomous mobility innovation and manufacturing.
Bavaria’s State Chancellery called Munich an ideal high-tech location, pointing to its automotive industry, research institutions and AI ecosystem, and said officials would work to reduce regulatory barriers and accelerate the shift from testing to real-world deployment. Approvals from local, state and federal authorities are still required before a commercial launch.
What a Munich robotaxi service means for UK business travellers
The practical case rests heavily on safety. Waymo cites data from 350 million fully autonomous kilometres showing 16 times fewer serious injury crashes, 14 times fewer pedestrian injury crashes and six times fewer cyclist injury crashes compared with human drivers. For a lone traveller heading back to a hotel after a late client dinner, that record, combined with a ride hailed and paid through an app as in the company’s American cities, is the heart of the pitch.
Accessibility could prove just as significant. Advocates for blind and visually impaired travellers have welcomed the launch, arguing that autonomous vehicles could remove barriers often encountered with traditional taxi services and offer guide dog users greater independence.
Munich will not be Britain’s first encounter with the technology either. Waymo has already set out plans for London, and Uber and Wayve have been granted a licence for robotaxi trials in the capital. By the time the German service opens, driverless cars could be waiting at both ends of a UK to Germany trip.
Waymo says the service will complement Munich’s public transport, cycling and walking networks rather than replace them, and that it “can’t wait” for residents and visitors to try autonomous ride-hailing in the city. Nothing changes for travellers just yet. Late 2027 is a target rather than a promise, and the approvals process will set the pace. But for anyone who files Munich expense claims, the countdown has started.
