Insider Brief
- Waymo plans to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Toronto in 2028, marking its first expansion into Canada, with mapping and manually supervised testing beginning in the coming days.
- The company is partnering with Element Fleet Management to support fleet operations and expects the expansion to create hundreds of jobs in areas including maintenance, validation driving, customer service and other operational roles.
- Waymo said its vehicles have logged more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometers and is working with Toronto accessibility groups as it prepares the service for commercial deployment.
Waymo plans to bring its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to Toronto in 2028, marking the company’s first expansion into Canada as it begins mapping and testing on city streets. Waymo did not provide details on the size of the initial Toronto fleet, pricing or the specific neighborhoods where service will first be offered.
According to the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company, Waymo vehicles will begin appearing in Toronto in the coming days, initially operating manually with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel. The first phase will focus on high-definition mapping of local roads and testing the Waymo Driver under Toronto driving conditions.
“Expanding into Canada marks an important milestone in Waymo’s global journey,” co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in the announcement. “Toronto is one of the world’s great cities — innovative, diverse, and forward-looking. We’re proud to bring the Waymo Driver to Canada’s largest city and to partner with the vibrant business, arts and cultural communities that share our commitment to safer streets and more accessible mobility.”
The company is partnering with Toronto-based Element Fleet Management to support the service. Element will provide end-to-end fleet management, including operations needed to maintain and manage Waymo vehicles as the service expands. Waymo said the companies and their partners expect to create hundreds of jobs over time in areas including fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service and other operational roles.
The Toronto expansion also builds on existing Canadian connections. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is a long-term Waymo investor, while Canadian automotive supplier Magna International is one of the company’s manufacturing partners.
Waymo indicated it plans to use its all-weather autonomous driving system in Toronto, where vehicles will need to operate alongside public transit, cyclists and other road users and handle changing weather and road conditions.
The company said its vehicles have accumulated more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometers. Based on its own safety data from cities where it currently operates, Waymo said its autonomous system has been involved in 95% fewer crashes resulting in serious injury or worse compared with human drivers.
Waymo is also working with accessibility and mobility groups in Toronto as it prepares the service to help shape accessibility features and operating practices before commercial service begins. Organizations named by the company include BALANCE for Blind Adults, CNIB, Community Living Toronto, Connected Canadians and Epilepsy Ontario.
