Nov 2, 2026
Waymo's all-electric Jaguar SUVs are now driving Toronto streets after the Alphabet-owned company was approved for Ontario's automated vehicle pilot program, the first step toward carrying driverless passengers in 2028.
Every Waymo car you see right now has a person in the driver's seat. The first phase is manual driving and high-definition mapping. The second phase puts trained drivers behind the wheel while the software is tested on local roads. You can't book a ride yet.
Waymo's testing areas include St. Lawrence Market, Harbourfront, Parkdale, Liberty Village, Roncesvalles, Leaside, Yonge and Eglinton, Don Mills, Yorkdale, Weston, Mimico and Etobicoke. Toronto-based Element Fleet Management will run the fleet, and the two companies say the deal will create hundreds of local jobs in maintenance, validation driving and customer service.
Ontario has allowed automated vehicle testing since 2016, but the regulation behind it is set to be revoked on October 13, 2027, months before Waymo's target date. It's a testing framework, not a licence to run a paid taxi service, and the province hasn't said what will replace it.
The Toronto City Hall has little say. A city staff report found that the province controls approvals, and Toronto can't veto an approved deployment. Mayor Olivia Chow, re-elected October 26, has said she won't back Waymo if it hurts local taxi and ride-hail drivers, and has called for the highest possible safety standards after the announcement.
Waymo says its cars are involved in 95% fewer serious-injury crashes than human drivers. That's the company's own data from U.S. cities.
A recent r/toronto thread about a Waymo sighting turned into a long argument, and one of the most upvoted comments was short: "I did not consent to be a part of their beta testing." Others pointed out that, for now, a human is still driving.
Users who'd ridden Waymos in San Francisco were split. One, who said they'd spotted a Waymo on Bloor near Dufferin, found them cautious and predictable but often "too passive" in congested, construction-heavy traffic. Another, claiming more than 50 rides, said they drive assertively and rarely get confused.
Money came up repeatedly. Several commenters objected to fares flowing to a U.S. company instead of local drivers, while others had little sympathy for Uber, which displaced cabs not long ago. One woman said she'd rather ride with a machine than be alone in a car with a male stranger late at night.
Waymo says testing typically runs around the clock, so expect to see the cars in those neighbourhoods all winter. Rollout updates are posted on Waymo's Canada page.
