Waymo to Launch Driverless Rides in Madrid in 2027, Its First Service in Spain

Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous driving unit, plans to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Spain's Madrid region in 2027, its first deployment in the country, the company said on October 20. Electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles will begin appearing on Madrid streets in the coming days, with trained specialists behind the wheel before autonomous operations begin, operating under Spanish traffic agency DGT's autonomous vehicle testing framework.

Madrid slots into an accelerating international rollout. Waymo said it also aims to launch in London this year, Tokyo in 2027 with partners Nihon Kotsu and Go pending regulatory approval, and Toronto in 2028 with Element Fleet Management. Its fleet already operates in more than 15 US cities, completes more than 500,000 paid rides per week, and has surpassed 20 million cumulative paid rides. The company also cites safety data compiled over more than 400 million km (249 million miles) of autonomous driving showing 95% fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse compared with human drivers.

Madrid is not an empty field. Spain's DGT issued its first national permits for autonomous vehicle testing to WeRide and Uber last month, with commercial services expected to launch in Madrid by the end of this year — meaning Waymo will arrive in a market where rivals may already be carrying passengers. Separately, reports this month said Waymo plans to quintuple its fleet from 4,000 cars today to 8,000 by the end of this year and 20,000 by the end of next year, funded by a $5 billion loan raised earlier in October from lenders including PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street.