Waymo Approved to Enter Canada, Starting With HD Mapping in Toronto

What happened

On October 16 (Friday, US Eastern time), Waymo announced in an official blog post that it has been approved to join Ontario's automated vehicle pilot program, bringing its robotaxis to Canada. The company is following its standard city playbook: manual mapping first, then public-road testing with a human safety operator, then driverless operation, and finally opening rides to the public.

This is Waymo's 16th market: it now runs commercial robotaxi services in 15 US cities and is testing in London and Tokyo. Expansion has picked up speed since its Austin deployment in March 2025, followed by Atlanta. Waymo says Toronto is the northernmost city with possibly the harshest winter conditions it has tried to operate in, which will test its AV technology and operational capabilities.

On the ground, Waymo is continuing its strategy of partnering with third-party fleet managers in each city, teaming up with Toronto-based Element Fleet Management. The company expects the effort to support hundreds of jobs in fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service and operations.

“The expansion into Canada marks an important milestone in our global journey.”

— Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo (as reported by TechCrunch)

Key facts

1. Pilot approval: Approved to join Ontario's automated vehicle pilot program
2. Four-step playbook: Manual mapping → public-road testing with a safety operator → driverless operation → public rides
3. 16th market: Commercial service in 15 US cities, testing in London and Tokyo; Toronto is the northernmost city with the harshest winters so far
4. Local partnership: Teaming up with Toronto-based Element Fleet Management; expected to support hundreds of jobs in maintenance, validation driving, customer service and operations