Waymo has received approval from the Ontario government to begin testing autonomous vehicles in Toronto. The pilot program starts this fall, with a goal of carrying passengers by 2028.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., announced it will launch a test phase for its self-driving taxi service in Toronto in the coming days. The company stated that the Ontario government has approved its participation in a provincial pilot program that regulates the testing of autonomous cars. The ultimate goal is to carry the first passengers in 2028.
The initial phase of operations, which begins this fall, involves high-definition street mapping and test runs of the robotaxis with a driver behind the wheel. According to CityNews Toronto, trained autonomous specialists will remain in the vehicle during this period to collect data on local driving conditions. Waymo says this work will help adapt its autonomous driving system, known as the “Waymo Driver,” to Toronto’s unique traffic patterns, road infrastructure, weather conditions and urban environment.
Waymo is partnering with Toronto-based Element Fleet Management for its Canadian launch. Element Fleet Management will provide maintenance, customer service and other support functions. The company says the expansion is expected to create hundreds of jobs over time, including roles in fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service and operations.
Waymo describes its technology as combining cameras, radar, lidar sensors and artificial intelligence-powered software to navigate roads without human intervention. The company says the technology can monitor surroundings in 360 degrees and detect objects up to three football fields away, including in low-light conditions and adverse weather.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the company is committed to safer streets and more accessible mobility. Skeptics of the technology have noted that autonomous vehicles struggle to handle more complicated environments, including heavy traffic and bad weather.
According to company data cited by CityNews Toronto, vehicles operating with the Waymo Driver were involved in 95 per cent fewer serious injury crashes compared with human drivers over more than 400 million rider-only kilometres. The company also reports injury crashes involving pedestrians were reduced by 93 per cent and cyclist-related crashes by 86 per cent. A separate study conducted with reinsurer Swiss Re found vehicles equipped with the Waymo Driver generated 76 per cent fewer property damage claims and no bodily injury claims per million rider-only miles driven.
Waymo currently operates in more than 15 cities, providing more than 500,000 paid trips each week. Since launching public ride-hailing services in 2020, Waymo says it has completed more than 20 million trips and operates a fleet of approximately 4,000 fully autonomous vehicles.
Waymo’s white crossover SUVs will not be the first autonomous vehicles to operate in Toronto under the provincial pilot program. California-based Gatik began a rollout of 50 autonomous box trucks for Loblaw in the city last year.
The launch marks a significant step in the adoption of autonomous transportation in Canada. Toronto could become the first city in the country to offer fully autonomous ride-hailing services. Research from the Chamber of Progress estimates that automated ride-hailing services could contribute nearly $1.34 billion to Canada’s GDP by 2050 while supporting almost 14,000 jobs nationwide.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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