Waymo Heads to Toronto, Aiming for First Riders in 2028

Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Google’s parent Alphabet, is coming to Canada. It says it is laying the groundwork for a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Toronto, “with the goal of welcoming our first riders in 2028.”

Nobody will be riding in a driverless Waymo in Toronto yet. The company’s first step is to drive its cars manually, with people at the wheel, to map the city and test its system.

The plans were set out in a Waymo blog post on 16 October 2026.

What happens first

“In the coming days, you’ll start to see Waymo vehicles on the streets of Toronto as we begin driving manually,” Waymo said.

The company describes “a rigorous, phased, safety-first approach starting with high-definition mapping of local street networks and testing with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel.” It says this validation period will help the Waymo Driver, its self-driving system, adapt to Toronto’s driving conditions.

Waymo did not mention any regulatory approval for driverless operation in Toronto or Ontario, and gave no timetable beyond the 2028 goal.

A local fleet partner

To run the service, Waymo is partnering with Element Fleet Management, which is headquartered in Toronto. Waymo says Element “will provide end-to-end fleet management services.”

“Together with Element and our partners, we’ll invest in hundreds of roles over time spanning fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service, and other operations functions that support our service,” Waymo said. It has not given an exact number of jobs or an investment figure.

“As a Canadian company, we are proud to be expanding our partnership with Waymo to help bring autonomous ride-hailing to Toronto,” said Laura Dottori-Attanasio, Element’s chief executive.

Waymo says the move builds on existing links with Canada: the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is a long-term investor, and Magna International is its manufacturing partner.

Why Toronto

“Expanding into Canada marks an important milestone in Waymo’s global journey,” said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “Toronto is one of the world’s great cities — innovative, diverse, and forward-looking.”

Waymo describes Toronto as one of North America’s fastest-growing metropolitan regions. It says its “all-weather” Driver can offer another option alongside bike lanes and public transport.

Waymo’s safety claim

Waymo repeats its own safety figures. It says data from “over 400 million fully autonomous kilometres driven shows the Waymo Driver was involved in 95% fewer (20x fewer) crashes involving serious injury or worse compared to humans in the cities where we operate.” These are Waymo’s numbers, comparing its record with human drivers in its existing US cities, not results from Toronto.

The company also says it is working with accessibility and mobility groups in Toronto, including BALANCE for Blind Adults, CNIB, Community Living Toronto, Connected Canadians and Epilepsy Ontario. People who want updates can sign up on Waymo’s Canada page.

How it fits Waymo’s expansion

Waymo has been adding cities quickly in the US. It recently opened driverless rides to anyone in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa, started rides to and from Nashville’s airport, and closed a $5 billion loan to fund growth. Toronto would be its first city outside the US.

What’s still unknown

Waymo has not said when testing without a safety driver will begin, what approvals it needs in Ontario, how many cars it will use or how much it is investing.

What to watch

Watch for Waymo cars appearing on Toronto streets in the coming days, any provincial or city approvals, and whether the 2028 goal holds.

What this means

First Canadian city. Toronto would be Waymo’s first service outside the US.
Humans at the wheel for now. Cars will be driven manually for mapping and testing.
2028 is a goal. No date for driverless rides has been confirmed.