If you just remember one thing from this briefing…
While Munich, Madrid and Zagreb accelerate, London's own robotaxi timeline keeps sliding toward 2027.
Waymo named Munich its first EU robotaxi city this fortnight and registered entities in Spain, France, the
Netherlands and Switzerland. Pony.ai and Uber are scaling past Zagreb toward 2,000 European robotaxis.
London still has no driverless guidance from TfL, which says there is "no rush" to publish it. Ask your
team: which market actually moves first?
Priority25 Aug
Waymo confirms Munich as its first EU robotaxi city
Waymo announced Munich as its first European Union robotaxi market, targeting public service by end of
2027. Validation-driver testing starts within weeks across several Munich districts. Waymo has also
registered legal entities in Spain, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland but holds zero German driving
permits so far.
So what: Munich, not London, is now Waymo's most advanced European bet — watch
whether Bavarian and KBA approvals arrive faster than TfL's own guidance.
Priority27 Aug
London robotaxi rollout slips toward 2027 as TfL says "no rush"
TfL's director of strategy Christina Calderato said there is "no rush" to publish the guidance operators
need before seeking driverless consent. No operator has completed the first regulatory stage. A YouGov
poll for the Assembly found 42% of Londoners oppose autonomous taxis against 29% in support (fieldwork
June, published July).
So what: fully driverless UK rides before 2027 are now unlikely — Waymo, Wayve and
Baidu all remain in the supervised phase, and TfL controls the pace, not the operators.
Watch14 Aug, unresolved
Pony.ai and Uber plan over 2,000 robotaxis across Europe
Reported just before this fortnight but still unresolved: Uber and Pony.ai said they will expand beyond
Zagreb (with Verne) to over 2,000 robotaxis across four further European cities. Neither has named the
cities or given a deployment timetable.
So what: scale is shifting from single-city pilots to continental rollout plans —
track which cities are named next, since that will set the competitive map for UK operators.
Watch10 Aug, checked this week
"Stop the Robocabs" petition stalls well short of its threshold
The Private Hire & Taxi Driver's Network petition against driverless taxi licences, published 10
August, remained near 1,100 signatures when checked this week — far short of the 10,000 needed for a
government response. Organised union opposition (GMB, ADCU) has been louder than public sign-up.
So what: read this as a gap between organised trade opposition and grassroots
public sign-up — plan communications on the union channel, not the petition threshold.
