Alphabet's Waymo is laying the groundwork for a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Spain, beginning with the Region of Madrid, and aims to welcome its first riders in 2027. Waymo is coming to Spain The company published the plan on 20 October 2026. Electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles are due on streets in the region within days.
Driving starts manually. Local, trained specialists then stay behind the wheel for technical validation, so the system Waymo calls the Waymo Driver can be adapted to the region's traffic and road conditions. Fully autonomous running comes after that. There are no commercial rides yet. A car on the street is still in testing, with a validation driver, also described as a safety driver, in the seat. Fares and the size of the fleet are still unannounced.
Madrid City, Alcobendas and Getafe
The cars are to run by day and night. Testing hours are typically 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on public roads under the guidelines of the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT), and under other applicable rules. The first municipalities include Madrid City, Alcobendas and Getafe, and are not limited to those three. Further areas are intended later. Waymo in Madrid
National, regional and local authorities are being engaged on the permits for a fully autonomous service. Emergency services are being familiarised with the technology. Waymo is also investing in local operations and speaking to local partners, who are not named. Regulators, lawmakers, emergency services and the public are to be updated as the work expands.
Safety figures
Co-chief executive Tekedra Mawakana:
"Madrid is an incredible capital of innovation and an integral part of our growing global presence. We can't wait to serve Madrileños. We're proud to bring Waymo to Spain, beginning with the Region of Madrid. We share the region's commitment to safer, more accessible, and zero-emission mobility, and we look forward to serving as a collaborative partner in achieving those goals."
From more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometres, Waymo reports 95 per cent fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse than human drivers in the cities where it operates, and more than 20 million trips completed. Its Madrid page puts the weekly volume at more than 500,000 trips, across more than 15 major cities in the United States, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Ignacio Lijarcio, president of the Spanish Road Safety Foundation (FESVIAL), described autonomous driving as a chance to prevent mistakes, anticipate risks and save lives. Mar Cogollos, director of the Spanish Association for the Study of Spinal Cord Injury (AESLEME), described human error as the cause of more than 90 per cent of road accidents, with the priority that nobody dies or is seriously hurt in an avoidable crash. That 90 per cent is her figure.