In May, Waymo founded Waymio Deutschland GmbH in Munich, and operations are set to begin in the coming weeks. As the robotaxi operator announced today, Munich residents will see the first Waymos on the streets of the Bavarian capital in the coming weeks. And the targeted timeline matches exactly the one I outlined a few days ago in my initial report and then broke down in even greater detail.
n the coming weeks, you’ll start to see Waymo vehicles on the streets of Munich where we’ll begin driving manually across the city. We are taking a rigorous, phased approach that starts with high-definition mapping of local street networks and testing with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel. This validation period will ensure the Waymo Driver adapts seamlessly to Munich’s distinct driving conditions before we aim to open commercial ride-hailing to the public towards the end of 2027.
Christian Hirte, State Secretary for Transportation, sees Waymo’s move as confirmation of Germany’s significance as a major automotive hub:
Autonomous driving is the key to the mobility of the future. We aim to make Germany a global leader in autonomous driving innovation and manufacturing. We have already put in place the legal framework for this. Waymo, the world’s leading provider of commercial robotaxi services, has now recognised Germany’s potential as a location offering legal certainty. It is currently planning to start regular commercial operation of autonomous vehicles on the German market for the first time. The fact that a company like Waymo is looking to Germany highlights how attractive our market is and proves that regular autonomous mobility services can work here. We must now leverage the strengths of our economy and develop autonomous mobility solutions from within Europe. Our goal must be to ensure that we in Europe not only use these technologies but also develop and operate them here. After all, autonomous driving makes a tangible contribution to improving everyone’s quality of life – across all age groups, circumstances and regions.
Florian Herrmann, head of the Bavarian State Chancellery, also sees this as confirmation of Bavaria’s importance as an automotive hub:
Autonomous driving is a key technology for the future of mobility and for the transformation of our automotive industry. Bavaria is determined to live up to its pioneering role and be an international leader in autonomous driving. We have the best possible conditions to achieve this, with strong automotive manufacturers and suppliers, cutting-edge research, innovative start-ups and a powerful AI ecosystem that we are specifically strengthening through our Hightech Agenda.
The fact that Waymo has chosen Munich to enter the German market and establish its autonomous ride-hailing service underscores Bavaria’s reputation as a leading high-tech location. Now we need to move quickly from testing to real-world deployment. To achieve this, we will continue to improve the framework conditions, cut red tape and remove regulatory barriers.
Waymo also follows a proven protocol by involving local stakeholders in the preparatory process. For example, during the approval process in California, more than 80 interest groups signed a statement of support, and in Munich as well, Maik Schubert, director of the Schubert & Wetzel GbR guide dog school, was quoted as saying in a statement of support regarding the importance of Waymo’s robotaxis:
Reliable mobility is essential for blind and visually impaired people. The upcoming launch of Waymo in Germany is an exciting step toward safer mobility options while helping to address some of the barriers guide dog users face with traditional taxi and ride-hailing services. We are very excited about the independence that autonomous vehicles will bring to our community,.
Waymo’s announcement was published in English and German and can be found here.
This article was also published in German.
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