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Waymo will begin manually driving its vehicles on Toronto streets in the coming days to build maps and validate its autonomous-driving software, with the first public passenger rides targeted for 2028. However, the plan faces a regulatory obstacle: Ontario’s automated-vehicle testing framework expires before commercial operations are scheduled to begin, and there is still no clear license for a paid autonomous ride-hailing service.
Waymo has opened the Ojai autonomous vehicle, built on a Chinese Zeekr car, to all riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix after a free early-access period. The company uses vehicles imported from China, but replaces the Chinese connectivity and sensing systems with components and software of its own design before operating them in the United States.
The Nevada Transportation Authority granted Tesla a permit to operate autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas, but limited the initial fleet to just 10 cars within an approved geographic area and prohibited service at Harry Reid Airport. Tesla had requested permission to operate up to 5,000 vehicles in Clark County during its first year.