Waymo has chosen Toronto as the first Canadian market it has announced plans to enter, with its vehicles set to begin operating on city streets in the coming days under human control, while the company is targeting the availability of the first public rides for users in 2028. Toronto will thereby become the company’s fourth announced market outside the United States, after London, Tokyo and Singapore.
Waymo will not immediately operate driverless vehicles. Specialists will drive the vehicles during the initial phase to build high-definition maps and validate the software’s performance on city streets before transitioning to autonomous operation. Toronto-based Element Fleet Management will manage the fleet from end to end.
Operational plan tied to local partners
Waymo also pointed to two existing Canadian partners: the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, as a long-term investor, and Magna International, its manufacturing partner. The company said the initiative could eventually create “hundreds of jobs” in fleet maintenance, the driving required to validate the systems, customer service and operations.
The commitment has local significance after the Toronto Star reported in April that Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s office said the city would not support Waymo if the service resulted in job losses, and that the company would have to prove otherwise.
Regulatory obstacle comes before passenger launch date
Waymo’s announcement did not mention a specific permit or approval allowing it to operate a commercial service. Ontario has allowed automated-vehicle testing since 2016 under O. Reg. 306/15 and added driverless-vehicle testing in 2019. However, the province’s legal database indicates that the regulation will be revoked on October 13, 2027—before the date Waymo is targeting to transport passengers.
The current framework does not constitute a license for a paid transportation service; it is intended for pilot testing. Transport Canada has also said that the use of autonomous vehicles on public roads remains limited to “temporary pilot projects” administered by the provinces. Therefore, the 2028 date depends on the Doug Ford government establishing a new commercial regulatory framework.
Why does this matter?
The lengthy testing period gives Waymo an opportunity to collect weather and operational data before transporting passengers. The company says it has driven more than 400 million autonomous kilometers and that its vehicles recorded 95% fewer crashes involving serious injuries or worse compared with human drivers in the cities where it operates. It also says it provides more than 500,000 paid rides weekly across more than 10 U.S. metropolitan areas.
Toronto’s winter conditions will be an important test for the system, including slush, road salt and freezing rain that could cover the sensors. Waymo says its system is designed to operate in all weather conditions, but the lengthy period of manual operation will test that claim in practice before the commercial launch.
The actual outcome remains tied to two parties outside the company: the Ontario government, which needs to establish a legal path from testing to paid service, and the City of Toronto, which links its support to the project’s impact on jobs. Accordingly, 2028 is not a guaranteed operating date so much as a target that first requires the regulatory rules to be completed.