Self-driving taxi operator Waymo is poised to launch a test phase in Toronto, with the goal of carrying its first passengers in 2028 as part of a push to breach the broader Canadian market.
The California-based ride-hailing company says the Ontario government has given it the green light to take part in a provincial pilot program that regulates testing of autonomous cars.
Waymo, owned by Google parent company Alphabet Inc., says the first phase includes high-definition street mapping and test runs of the robotaxis with a driver behind the wheel, starting this year.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana sought to reassure skeptics who say autonomous vehicles struggle to handle more complicated environments, including heavy traffic, bad weather or unusual situations.
“We’re proud to bring the Waymo Driver to Toronto and to partner with a community that shares our commitment to safer streets and more accessible mobility,” she said in a release.
“Expanding into Canada marks an important milestone in Waymo’s global journey.”
Company data from more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometres driven shows that Waymo cars were involved in 95 per cent fewer crashes causing serious injury or death compared to humans in the cities where the service operates, according to the tech firm.
For its launch north of the border, Waymo is partnering with Toronto-based Element Fleet Management, which will provide maintenance, customer service and other support functions.
Waymo’s arrival could prove an accelerant for a budding cluster of auto-oriented tech companies in Ontario, industry leaders say.
“This is a big victory for some of the untold stories in mobility technology in Canada — the kinds of companies that don’t get the headlines but, in terms of investment value … are just as material as the ones that bend metal and melt plastics,” said Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, in an interview.
Waymo’s distinctive white crossover SUVs will not be the first fully autonomous vehicles to traverse Toronto streets under the provincial pilot program, after California-based Gatik began a rollout of 50 autonomous box trucks for Loblaw in the city last year.
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Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
