On 16 October Waymo announced it is preparing a fully autonomous service in Toronto. In the coming days the cars go out on the streets with a person behind the wheel to map them, and the first riders are a goal for 2028. The fleet partner is Element Fleet Management.
- 16 October 2026: Waymo announced it is heading to Canada and preparing a driverless ride-hailing service in Toronto, with the goal of welcoming its first riders in 2028.
- In the coming days the cars appear on Toronto streets, but with a person driving manually: high-definition mapping first, then tests with specialists behind the wheel. The fleet partner is Element Fleet Management.
- The safety number in the announcement is Waymo's and comes from the cities where it already operates: 95% fewer crashes with serious injury or worse, compared with human drivers, across more than 400 million autonomous kilometres. The announcement doesn't mention permits.
The cars will show up on Toronto streets in the coming days, with a person behind the wheel. Riders come later: Waymo's goal is for the first of them to get in during 2028.
The sequence is familiar. Manual driving and maps first, then specialists behind the wheel, then riders. Waymo describes the period as a validation that will ensure the system adapts to Toronto's distinct driving conditions. What they are, the announcement doesn't say.
The safety number is 95%, across more than 400 million kilometres, and it is Waymo's, measured where it already drives. For Toronto there is nowhere for such a number to come from yet: the cars are only now going out there with a person behind the wheel.
Who will allow a driverless taxi in Canada, and on what terms, the announcement doesn't say. There is no regulator in it. There is a fleet partner, an investor and a manufacturer.