Waymo is set to arrive in Munich, with plans for commercial service aimed at late 2027.

      Waymo has declared that it is preparing for autonomous ride-hailing in Munich, beginning with high-definition mapping and manual driving in the upcoming weeks. The company intends to launch a commercial service for the public by late 2027.

      While robotaxis are on the way to Munich, they won't arrive immediately. Waymo has indicated that it is setting the stage for fully autonomous ride-hailing in the city, with vehicles beginning to operate on local streets in the next few weeks under human control.

      This process is intentional. Initial efforts will focus on high-definition mapping, followed by trials with trained autonomous specialists at the wheel, before aiming to launch a commercial service to the public around the end of 2027.

      Waymo backs its announcement with impressive figures, reporting over 20 million completed trips and hundreds of thousands of commercial rides per week, utilizing a sixth-generation fleet designed to be cost-effective.

      “Munich is a premier center for mobility and engineering, and joining this city represents a significant step in our global growth,” said co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, assuring investment in local fleet operations and job creation.

      The company also presented its safety data, noting that over 350 million fully autonomous kilometers indicate 16 times fewer serious injury crashes compared to human drivers, along with 14 times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians.

      The response in Berlin adds a captivating dimension. Waymo is said to have “recognized Germany’s potential as a location providing legal certainty,” remarked Christian Hirte, parliamentary state secretary at the federal transport ministry.

      He elaborated, stating, “Our goal should be to ensure that we in Europe not only utilize these technologies but also develop and operate them here,” in the same statement welcoming an American firm to Munich.

      This dynamic has a historical context. Germany established the world’s first framework for commercializing Level 4 vehicles in 2021, yet no German entity has implemented a driverless commercial fleet on a large scale.

      A domestic competitor, Volkswagen’s MOIA, is deploying autonomous ID. Buzz vehicles in Hamburg, while Wayve is on an Uber waitlist in London, and Verne operates a commercial service in Zagreb.

      Bavaria is eager to accelerate the process. “We need to swiftly transition from testing to real-world deployment,” said Florian Herrmann of the Bavarian State Chancellery, vowing to “streamline regulations and eliminate bureaucratic obstacles.”

      Thus, while Germany crafted the rulebook, it is now hosting the company that adhered to it most diligently, reflecting the current state of autonomy in Europe.