Disruptive new competition is on the horizon for Uber, Lyft, and Toronto’s taxi companies, as Waymo prepares to enter Canada’s largest urban market with a service that would let passengers book rides in vehicles with no human driver behind the wheel.
Waymo is preparing to bring its fully driverless ride-hailing service — also called a robotaxi service — to Toronto, with the goal of welcoming its first passengers in 2028.
The California-based company — a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google — announced its planned Canadian expansion last week, stating it will invest in local facilities and work with partners to support hundreds of jobs over time.
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Toronto residents could begin seeing Waymo vehicles on their streets in the coming days. During this initial stage, the vehicles will be driven manually.
The company plans to map the city’s streets in detail and test its technology with trained specialists behind the wheel. This work is intended to ensure its automated driving system can handle Toronto’s road network and local driving conditions before it introduces a fully autonomous passenger service.
“Expanding into Canada marks an important milestone in Waymo’s global journey,” said Tekedra Mawakana, a co-CEO of Waymo, in a statement.
“We’re proud to bring the 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.”
Waymo robotaxi vehicle. (Waymo)
Waymo has selected Toronto-based Element Fleet Management to help manage the vehicles and support the service’s operations. The company plans to support hundreds of positions over time in vehicle maintenance, test driving, customer service, and other operational roles.
The expansion builds on Waymo’s existing Canadian connections, including its investment relationship with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and its manufacturing partnership with Magna International.
Waymo claims its fully driverless vehicles have a better safety record than human drivers, citing data comparing crashes over the same distance travelled in the cities where it operates. According to the company, its vehicles were involved in 95 per cent fewer crashes resulting in serious injury or death, 82 per cent fewer injury-causing crashes, and 82 per cent fewer crashes in which an airbag deployed in any vehicle, compared with an average human driver.
Waymo robotaxi vehicle. (Waymo)
Currently, Waymo operates in 15 markets in the United States, including Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and Tampa.
In Atlanta and Austin, Waymo robotaxi vehicles are also available on the Uber app, alongside the ride-hailing giant’s human driver options.
According to the company’s data, in June 2026 alone, its robotaxi vehicles had travelled approximately 108 million kilometres with ride-hailing passengers and without a human driver in Los Angeles, 132.6 million kilometres in the San Francisco Bay Area, 148.3 million kilometres in Phoenix, 33.9 million kilometres in Austin, and 13.9 million kilometres in Atlanta through June 2026.
In addition to Toronto, Waymo previously announced plans to expand to the international markets of London and Tokyo, and bring its service to more U.S. markets, including Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.
As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized earlier in 2026, Waymo is also eager to bring its robotaxi service to British Columbia, most likely Vancouver.
Similar to Uber and Lyft’s smartphone apps, passengers can book a ride through Waymo’s app by entering their destination and confirming a pickup location. Once the vehicle arrives, they use the app to unlock the doors, get inside, buckle up, and tap “Start ride” on the vehicle’s interior screen or in the app.
The vehicle then drives itself to the selected drop-off point. Once it comes to a complete stop, passengers open the doors, step out, and close the doors behind them. Riders can also contact customer support or request that the vehicle pull over through the app or onboard screen.
Waymo robotaxi vehicle. (Daily Hive)
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