Autonomous rides provider Waymo is set to expand its European operations to Germany after registering an entity in the country.
Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has registered a German subsidiary using Google’s office in Munich as its address, according to media reports.
In its registration filing, Waymo Germany said it will offer “ride-hailing services with autonomous vehicles and provide services that support the commercial offering of such services by third parties”.
Waymo is planning to start operating driverless rides in London later this year. The operator is currently in a mapping and testing phase in the UK capital, using a fleet of autonomous Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.
Reports have suggested that Waymo hopes to launch commercial passenger rides in London in the autumn.
Although, there have been media reports detailing incidents with its cars, including Waymo vehicles mistakenly getting stuck in some one-way streets in London and waking up local residents due to their “siren” noises when reversing out of these areas.