Waymo is officially entering Canada. Toronto will be the first site: the company is investing in local bases and jobs, and promises first passengers in 2028. In the coming days cars with a human at the wheel will appear on the streets — a mapping and shakedown stage, not “open the app” robotaxi.
How they will roll the city out
The pattern is familiar: high-precision maps first, then rides with a specialist, then — if Toronto does not break the model — a driverless service. Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana calls it a global-expansion milestone. The fleet goes to Element Fleet Management, headquartered in the same city: maintenance, validation drivers, support. Waymo stresses old Canadian ties — the CPP pension fund and Magna.
The company writes about hundreds of jobs over time. For the city that is an argument of “we are not only taking taxi drivers”; for unions it is a separate conversation that is not in the press release.
The safety number
Waymo cites more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometres and 95% fewer crashes with serious injuries than humans in cities where it operates — “20 times fewer”. That is the operator’s metric, not a Toronto insurer’s. Winter, ice, bike lanes and downtown density are exactly what Phoenix does not have. Accessibility is promised with organisations for the blind and for epilepsy, including CNIB and BALANCE for Blind Adults.
How to look at it
This is the start of mapping, not a launch. 2028 is far away: the regulator, the weather and local politics will have time to change. Remember the Element tie-up and the “first rides” date. While a human still sits in the seat, the robot is learning the city, not ferrying sisters from the airport.
