US robotaxis undergo training for London’s quirks before planned rollout this year

Waymo, the US self-driving ride-hailing company, is training its robotaxis in London in preparation for a planned rollout in the last quarter of this year. The fleet of 24 cars, equipped with cameras, radar, and lidar sensors, are being manually driven to learn the city's unique road features, such as zebra crossings, which differ from US crosswalks. Waymo is awaiting government legislation permitting driverless cars in the UK, while also competing with companies like Wayve and Uber for a share of the London market. The company hopes its technology will navigate London's challenging streets, despite concerns about the city's dense and complex road layouts. Waymo unveiled one of its UK-specific Jaguar cars at the London Transport Museum, highlighting its advanced sensor technology.

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