(Reuters) -Alphabet's Waymo plans to launch its fully driverless ride-hailing service in London in 2026, the robotaxi firm said on Wednesday, as it looks to expand its footprint to major international cities.

Waymo has grown slowly but steadily over the years in the United States despite tough regulations and expensive technology. Now, it is picking up speed through partnerships with ride-hailing platforms and fleet operators at a time when Tesla is rolling out its long-promised robotaxi service in the country.

Earlier this year, Waymo started collecting data in Tokyo, Japan and testing its vehicles operated by human drivers in cooperation with Japanese taxi firm Nihon Kotsu and with Go, which operates a mobile app for hailing taxi rides.

In London, Waymo said it will collaborate with vehicle financing firm Moove as it prepares for the rollout, and is actively engaging with local and national regulators to secure necessary approvals.

Waymo vehicles are now on the way to London, where safety drivers will start testing the vehicles before fully autonomous operations begin next year, a Waymo spokesperson said.

Waymo currently serves more than 250,000 paid trips every week with about 1,500 vehicles in U.S. cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Arizona, Atlanta, Georgia and Austin, Texas.

Waymo has partnered with Moove to handle its fleet operations, facilities and charging infrastructure in Phoenix and next year in Miami, Florida.

Ride-hailing firm Uber, which offers Waymo vehicles on its app in Atlanta and Austin, announced in June plans to trial fully driverless rides in the UK from spring 2026 through its partnership with AI startup Wayve.

Commercializing autonomous vehicles has proven difficult in the U.S. amid setbacks for several companies, including General Motors' Cruise, due to collisions, recalls and federal investigations.

(Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru and Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Leroy Leo and Lincoln Feast.)