Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company, expands into the Community of Madrid, where it plans to offer rider transportation services in fully autonomous vehicles starting next year.
Madrid will be Waymo’s first region in Spain, marking the start of the company’s long-term commitment in the country. In the coming weeks, the company will begin circulating on the region’s streets with drivers trained behind the wheel, while collecting the data needed for fully autonomous operations.
The brand will operate under the autonomous vehicle testing framework of the Dirección General de Tráfico (VEH Instruction 2025/07). It will work closely with the DGT and the autonomous regional transportation authorities to offer autonomous trips in 2027.
Waymo has already shown that autonomous driving is safe and popular with users. The safety endorsement and Waymo’s popularity among riders will complement the region’s existing transportation ecosystem.
Waymo has logged more than 450 million kilometers on public roads (about 280 million miles), has completed more than 20 million paid rides, and is available to the public in 15 major U.S. cities. Each week, it conducts more than 500,000 paid trips. Compared with human drivers over more than 400 million kilometers traveled with passengers (about 250 million miles), Waymo Driver has delivered 95% fewer crashes with serious or fatal injuries, a 93% reduction in pedestrian-involved crashes with injuries, and an 86% reduction in cyclist-involved crashes with injuries, regardless of fault. In 2025, 1,119 people died on interurban roads and 4,936 sustained injuries requiring hospitalization in Spain, according to DGT data. Autonomous driving technology has the potential to significantly improve road safety in the city.
The Dirección General de Tráfico has established a clear framework to drive the testing and safe deployment of autonomous mobility, and we are committed to backing that vision through rigorous testing, transparency, and close collaboration with regulators at all levels.
