Summary
Waymo has launched a UK network of 10 disability and ageing organisations to inform user research and product testing as the company works towards welcoming its first passengers in London. The programme will focus on shaping autonomous-vehicle experiences around local accessibility needs.
Waymo announced the Waymo Accessibility Network UK on 10 November 2026, bringing together 10 disability and ageing organisations to inform the company’s work on autonomous mobility in the UK. The network is intended to support user research and product testing as Waymo works towards welcoming its first passengers in London.
The company says the group will provide an ongoing, two-way forum for British organisations to shape how its technology is deployed on UK streets. The announcement presents the network as a way to include the experiences of disabled people in product decisions, rather than treating accessibility as a feature set designed without their input.
A co-design forum for UK deployment
The inaugural participants are RNIB, Re-Engage, Age UK, Transport for All, Thomas Pocklington Trust, Guide Dogs UK, Sense, Motability Foundation, the National Centre for Accessible Transport and Scope. Waymo says members will take part in user research and product testing and that it expects to welcome more organisations.
The programme responds to varied travel needs, including finding a vehicle in a busy street, reducing walking to a pickup point and making a ride easier to understand. The company says feedback from the disability community has already informed features such as audio cues and vehicle-finding tools. Its stated aim for the UK network is to use local input to shape both the passenger experience and the way the service is introduced.
Features Waymo says it is developing around
Waymo lists several accessibility features in its current vehicle and app experience. For vehicle pickup, blind and low-vision passengers can use the app to trigger a distinctive melody or horn honk. A “find my car” option can provide step-by-step directions, including a prompt such as “300 feet to your right.” The app can also warn before a ride is requested if reaching the pickup point would involve a walk of more than three minutes.
For deaf and hard-of-hearing passengers, a screen on the vehicle’s rooftop lidar unit can display the rider’s initials in a chosen colour. It can also show an image indicating that someone is getting into or out of the vehicle. Lidar is a sensor technology that uses laser light to measure distances; here, the rooftop unit also carries the visual display described by Waymo.
Passengers can choose audio descriptions and on-screen or in-car prompts, including alerts about yielding to a pedestrian, seat-belt reminders and prompts to collect belongings. The app’s accessibility menu includes options to reduce walking by choosing a longer ride that avoids crossing a street, adjust audio cues, and access an audio or visual tutorial about riding. Waymo also says guide dogs are welcome without advance notice and that front-seat adjustments can create more footwell space for a guide dog or mobility device.
Other features listed include round-the-clock access to rider support through in-vehicle audio calls or in-app chat, and an app interface that adapts to the preferred language set on a passenger’s smartphone.
Waymo says technology alone cannot remove every barrier and that accessibility also depends on streets, vehicles and the support available to passengers. The network’s significance will therefore depend on how feedback from its members is incorporated into research, testing and the London service as it takes shape.