Waymo said on October 20, 2026, that it was preparing an autonomous ride-hailing service in Spain, starting in the Community of Madrid, and targeting 2027 for its first riders. La Vanguardia separately reported a 2027 Madrid deployment plan for Bolt.
How Waymo says Madrid preparation will proceed
Waymo named electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles for the project. Its announced sequence starts with manual driving, followed by technical validation with trained local autonomous-vehicle specialists behind the wheel. Waymo also said it was engaging national, regional and local authorities and familiarizing emergency services with its technology.
In its October 20 announcement, Waymo reported that its system had been involved in 95% fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse than human drivers across more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometers in the cities where it operates.
Bolt’s reported plan and the earlier Madrid project
La Vanguardia reported on October 25 that Bolt planned a 2027 Madrid deployment using Lucid electric vehicles and Nvidia software. It also reported that an earlier plan involving Uber, WeRide and AVOMO had targeted a Madrid service for late 2026. NeoTeo previously covered that separate Madrid project.
| Company | Vehicle and technology | Stated timing |
| Waymo | Electric Jaguar I-PACE | First riders targeted for 2027 |
| Bolt | Lucid electric vehicles with Nvidia software | 2027 deployment reported by La Vanguardia |
What La Vanguardia said Spain’s pilot framework allowed
In its October 25 report, La Vanguardia described Spain’s framework as allowing pilot projects that carry passengers with a driver inside the vehicle, even if that person is not operating it. The report said ordinary commercial driverless taxi service was not permitted under the framework it described.
