Waymo, WeRide expand robotaxis
Waymo is beginning driverless ride‑hailing deployments in London, and in Singapore WeRide and Grab launched a residential robotaxi pilot with safety operators onboard during initial data collection. Both rollouts mark the next phase of real‑world AV tests in dense cities and will test public acceptance, safety monitoring and regulatory frameworks. (politico.com) (investing.com)
Waymo posted its London plan on Oct. 15, 2025 and said it expects to begin operations in 2026 as part of a staged rollout; the company also reported the Waymo Driver has logged more than 100 million fully autonomous miles and completed over 10 million paid rides in the U.S. (waymo.com)) Waymo expanded its commercial partnership with fleet operator Moove for the London rollout, naming Moove its fleet‑operations partner and citing responsibilities including vehicle operations, facilities and charging infrastructure. (prnewswire.com)) Waymo said its London fleet will use Jaguar I‑PACE electric vehicles equipped with the Waymo Driver, noted existing engineering hubs in London and Oxford, and pointed to ongoing international testing including vehicles already running in Tokyo. (waymo.com)) Grab and WeRide opened the Ai.R public service in Punggol on April 1, 2026 with an initial 11‑vehicle fleet made up of WeRide’s five‑seat GXR and eight‑seat Robobus models that have passed Singapore’s Milestone 1 safety assessment. (grab.com)) The Punggol pilot reported more than 30,000 km of autonomous mileage and over 1,000 early riders from community trials that began in January 2026, and Grab said rides will remain free until commercial fares start in mid‑2026. (selfdrivenews.com)) GrabAcademy and WeRide have trained Grab driver‑partners to serve as onboard Safety Operators for the initial phase, with reports that 14 driver‑partners have completed specialised training and Remote Operator cohorts are being prepared as the service scales across two full routes and a shorter mini route operating weekdays 9:30–17:30. (grab.com))
