Waymo plans to bring its driverless ride service to Spain, starting in the Region of Madrid, and aims to carry its first passengers in 2027. Its electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles are scheduled to reach the region’s roads in the coming days as the company begins preparations for the service. For residents, the first visible step will be cars driven manually, with passenger service targeted for next year.
Waymo says the manual driving phase will precede technical validation, during which trained autonomous vehicle specialists from the area will sit behind the wheel. The company says that testing is intended to adapt the Waymo Driver to Madrid’s traffic and road conditions. It has not disclosed fares for the planned service.
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Preparations also include discussions with authorities at Spain’s national, regional and local levels, according to Waymo. The company says it is introducing emergency services to its technology as it works toward carrying passengers. It is also working with local partners and putting money into the operations it needs to run the service in the region.
Waymo says it wants those operations to fit Spanish and regional regulatory requirements as well as community needs. The company describes the planned service as part of an effort to make travel safer and more accessible in the Madrid region. It is offering a registration option for people who want updates on its progress in Spain.
Waymo reports having completed more than 20 million trips, with commercial rides numbering in the hundreds of thousands each week. It also cites a driving record exceeding 400 million kilometres without a human driver. Using that data, the company says the Waymo Driver had 95% fewer crashes resulting in serious injuries or worse than human drivers in cities where it operates.
The Madrid preparations follow Waymo’s September 17 announcement that it would expand to Singapore. Earlier, on August 25, the company said it was preparing to establish an autonomous ride service in Munich, Germany.
