Hello Toronto! Waymo is on the way

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Waymo is officially heading to Canada! We are laying the foundation for our fully autonomous transportation service in Toronto, investing in local facilities and jobs, with the goal of welcoming our first passengers in 2028.

In the coming days, you will start to see Waymo vehicles on the streets of Toronto as we begin manual driving. We are taking a rigorous, phased, safety-first approach, starting with high-definition mapping of local street networks and testing with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel. This validation period will ensure that the Waymo Driver is perfectly suited to the various driving conditions in Toronto.

“The expansion 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-thinking. We are proud to bring Waymo Driver to Canada’s largest city and to partner with the vibrant business, arts and cultural communities that share our commitment to safer streets and more accessible mobility.”

To serve Toronto, we have partnered with Element Fleet Management, a Toronto-based company and global leader in smart mobility and fleet solutions that will provide end-to-end fleet management services. Together with Element and our partners, we will invest in hundreds of functions over time spanning fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service and other operational functions that support our service. This deep partnership builds on Waymo’s existing ties to Canada, including our long-term investment relationship with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and our manufacturing partner, Magna International.

“As a Canadian company, we are proud to expand our partnership with Waymo to help bring autonomous transportation to Toronto,” said Laura Dottori-Attanasio, CEO of Element Fleet Management. “Together with Waymo, Element will help create employment opportunities by providing the fleet expertise, operational capabilities and smart mobility solutions needed to support autonomous fleets reliably and at scale.”

As one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in North America, Toronto has evolving mobility demands and a dynamic, growing number of tools. From bike lanes to public transportation, Waymo’s All-Weather Driver can provide an additional option that complements the city’s transportation ecosystem. Data from more than 400 million kilometers driven fully autonomously shows that Waymo Driver was involved in 95% fewer (20 times fewer) crashes with serious injuries or worse compared to humans in the cities where we operate.

Safety and accessibility are central to Waymo’s mission to be the world’s most trusted driver, and we are proud to collaborate with leading accessibility and mobility advocacy organizations, including BALANCE for Blind Adult, CNIB, Community Living Toronto, Connected Canadians, and Epilepsy Ontario, among others.

“Innovation that removes barriers to independence is at the heart of everything we do. Waymo’s history of partnering with the vision loss community to create accessible solutions is encouraging, and their decision to partner with us from the beginning reflects the kind of approach that leads to real results,” said Michelle McQuigge, CEO of BALANCE for Blind Adults.

We look forward to helping residents and visitors explore everything Toronto has to offer. If you’re ready to experience Waymo in Toronto, sign up for updates to be among the first to ride when we’re ready: waymo.com/waymo-in-canada.

Waymo officially arrives in Canada! We are preparing to launch our autonomous vehicle transportation service in Toronto. We are investing in local infrastructure and job creation with a view to welcoming our first passengers in 2028.

Over the next few days you will start to see Waymo vehicles driving around the streets of Toronto, with a driver behind the wheel. Our approach is rigorous and focused above all on security. We proceed in stages, starting by mapping the local road network in high definition and then carrying out tests with qualified autonomous driving specialists behind the wheel. This phase will allow us to verify that the Waymo Driver adapts to the specific driving conditions of Toronto.

“Our arrival in Canada marks an important step in Waymo’s international development,” said Tekedra Mawakana, the company’s co-CEO. “Toronto is one of the largest metropolises in the world: an innovative and diverse city, resolutely focused on the future. We are proud to bring the Waymo Driver to Canada’s largest city and to collaborate with the vibrant business, arts and cultural communities that share our commitment to safer streets and more accessible mobility. »

To provide our service in Toronto, we partnered with Element Fleet Management, a Toronto-based company that is a global leader in smart mobility and fleet management solutions. Element will provide us with comprehensive fleet management services. Together with Element and our other partners, we will gradually invest in the creation of hundreds of jobs related to fleet maintenance, road testing, customer service and other activities necessary to operate our service. This partnership is a continuation of the ties Waymo has already forged with Canada, particularly with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), a long-time investor, and Magna International, its manufacturing partner.

“As a Canadian company, we are proud to expand our partnership with Waymo to help bring on-demand autonomous transportation services to Toronto,” said Laura Dottori-Attanasio, President and CEO of Element Fleet Management. Together, Element and Waymo will help create employment opportunities by leveraging Element’s fleet management expertise, operational capabilities and smart mobility solutions to support the large-scale deployment of autonomous vehicle fleets, while ensuring the reliability of their operations. »

Toronto is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in North America. Mobility needs are changing and transportation options are multiplying. From bike lanes to public transportation, the Waymo Driver, designed to work in any weather, could provide an additional option to complement existing modes of transportation. Based on data collected from more than 400 million miles driven in fully autonomous driving, Waymo vehicles have been involved in 95% fewer crashes resulting in serious or more serious injuries than human-driven vehicles in cities where the service is offered. This represents 20 times fewer accidents of this type.

Safety and accessibility are central to Waymo’s mission: to become the world’s most trusted self-driving service. We are proud to collaborate with leading organizations working to promote accessibility and mobility, including BALANCE for Blind Adult, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Community Living Toronto, Connected Canadians and Epilepsy Ontario.

“Innovation that promotes autonomy is at the heart of everything we do. Waymo’s experience working with people with visual impairments to design accessible solutions is encouraging. Their decision to consult with us from the beginning demonstrates that such an approach can deliver real results,” said Michelle McQuigge, executive director of BALANCE for blind adults.

We are excited to help residents and visitors discover all that Toronto has to offer. If you want to try the Waymo driver in Toronto, sign up for our updates and be among the first to know when our service launches: waymo.com/waymo-in-canada.

Waymo press release.