Waymo robotaxi in Tokyo 2027: 100 driverless cars and launch plan
Waymo, GO and Nihon Kotsu plan a Level 4 robotaxi service in Tokyo in 2027, scaling to about 100 cars, while Moscow’s comparable Yandex fleet will initially keep a test driver on board.
In 2027, Tokyo is expected to get taxis with no driver on board at all. Waymo, ride-hailing service GO and major Tokyo taxi operator Nihon Kotsu have agreed to prepare commercial Level 4 autonomous rides and gradually expand the fleet to about 100 vehicles. A similar number is planned in Moscow, where Yandex aims to put 100 robotaxis into passenger service by the end of 2026, but the launch model is different.
Waymo has been testing its system in the Japanese capital since 2025. The cars already operate autonomously across seven Tokyo wards, with trained Nihon Kotsu staff currently on board. The next stage is public rides with no driver after regulatory approvals and completion of technology validation. Customers will be able to request a car through both Waymo and GO.
For Waymo, robotaxis are no longer just an experiment. The company says it now provides more than 500,000 fully autonomous rides per week and operates across 15 major US cities. Tokyo will be another demanding scalability test: left-hand traffic, narrow streets and dense urban flows have required dedicated adaptation of the Waymo Driver.
A comparable transition is under way in Russia. Yandex says 100 robotaxis for passenger orders through Yandex Go should appear in Moscow by the end of 2026. At first, however, a test driver will remain inside the vehicle. So while the planned passenger fleets are similar in size, the Tokyo project is explicitly aimed at commercial rides with nobody behind the wheel.
Waymo is using a similar preparation model in Europe. In Munich, the company is first learning the city with a driver on board, while a fully autonomous service is targeted for the end of 2027. The pattern shows how robotaxis are moving from demonstration technology toward regular passenger operations.
A 2027 Tokyo launch is still not guaranteed. The agreement ties the start of service to approvals from national and local authorities and successful validation of the Waymo Driver. But the project has clearly moved to a new stage: the goal is no longer simply collecting road data, but preparing a paid service for ordinary passengers.