Waymo is coming to Toronto. The Alphabet self-driving unit said it has approval to join Ontario's automated vehicle pilot program, its first step into Canada.
The rollout follows the company's usual sequence: vehicles driven manually to build high-definition maps, then on-road testing with a trained specialist at the wheel, then driverless operation and public rides. Waymo is targeting a 2028 launch for paying riders.
Toronto-based Element Fleet Management will run fleet operations, and the company expects the work to support hundreds of jobs in maintenance, validation driving, customer service and operations.
Toronto will be Waymo's northernmost and most wintry market yet, a real test for its system. The company already runs commercial services in 15 U.S. cities and is testing in London and Tokyo.
