Waymo is preparing to apply to Ontario’s automated vehicle pilot programme as it looks to bring its driverless ride-hailing service to Toronto.
However, growing concerns over the rollout of driverless taxis and potential job losses could weigh on the decision.
The plans were first reported by The Toronto Star on Monday.
A spokesperson for Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s office told the newspaper that Waymo had informed City Hall of its intention to apply to the provincial pilot.
Approval would allow the company to test vehicles in Ontario and serve as a potential precursor to commercial robotaxi operations in Canada’s largest city.
Chow’s press secretary Braman Thillainathan confirmed to The Toronto Star that the company revealed its pilot plans during a lobbying push at City Hall last December.
He stressed that the province of Ontario — not the city — is in charge of regulating driverless cars, and said the mayor made no specific commitment.
Waymo did not confirm its Ontario plans when approached by the local outlet.
Company spokesperson Chris Pappas acknowledged that Waymo has “global ambitions” and said it has met with officials in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada “to explain our technology and advocate for the legal frameworks necessary to bring our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the country.”
Job Loss Concerns
Chow’s office signalled that the mayor will not back Waymo if its operations undercut the local taxi and ride-hail workforce.
“Any move toward autonomous vehicles must not put people out of work or undermine workers’ livelihoods. The mayor will not support Waymo if it costs jobs, drives down wages for other workers, or contributes to precarious work in our city,” Thillainathan said.
According to the press secretary, “Waymo must demonstrate this will not happen.”
A source close to Premier Doug Ford, speaking confidentially with The Toronto Star, said the province has not yet decided whether the company’s pitch would be approved.
The premier is said to be aware of the optics of allowing an American tech company to potentially displace ride-share drivers.
It is not yet clear what role the city would play in governing Waymo‘s driverless operations, given that existing municipal vehicle-for-hire rules were not designed for autonomous services.
Ontario’s Pilot Framework
Ontario launched its Automated Vehicle Pilot Program in 2016 and extended it through October 13, 2027.
According to the Government of Ontario’s website, the programme allows testing of SAE Level 3, 4, and 5 vehicles on public roads under conditions set by the Ministry of Transportation.
It was updated in 2019 to permit driverless testing — with no human behind the wheel — under additional requirements.
Participants must notify the ministry within 10 days of any collision and submit an annual report detailing testing speeds, road types, and any disengagements or incidents.
Applicants are also required to carry a minimum of $5 million in liability coverage, or $8 million for vehicles with seating for eight or more passengers.
To conduct driverless testing, companies must declare that their technology is safe and effective, accept full liability, provide details of vehicle oversight, and submit a “work zone and first responders’ interaction plan” to law enforcement and affected municipalities.
Vehicles must also carry a visible sign indicating they are driverless and being tested.
Since 2016, 14 entities have been approved to participate in the pilot, covering passenger vehicles, low-speed shuttles, and light-duty commercial vehicles.
Only a small number have been cleared for fully driverless operation with no safety driver on board.
A June 2025 presentation from the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators listed auto manufacturer Magna International and the University of Waterloo among current pilot participants.
Magna, operating through its subsidiary New Mobility Canada Delivery Systems Inc., was approved for fully driverless last-mile delivery vehicles — small three-wheeled pods — on Toronto streets.
Testing started a year ago.
The University of Waterloo has operated the WATonoBus, an all-weather autonomous shuttle, on its campus since 2021 under remote oversight.
A Waymo approval would mark the first time Ontario has cleared a driverless passenger ride-hailing service, a category with far more direct implications for taxi and ride-share drivers than either the Magna delivery pods or the Waterloo campus shuttle.
Waymo Safety
According to data provided by Waymo, its vehicles were involved in 92% fewer serious or fatal crashes than human drivers.
Harsh Canadian winters have historically been flagged as an obstacle to safe driverless operation in Toronto.
Waymo further said it has spent years testing its technology in snowy conditions in places such as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Buffalo, New York.
The New York Scenario
The Google subsidiary was the first and only autonomous vehicle testing programme ever approved in New York City, and no collisions were reported during the entire testing period, according to NYC DOT.
Its permits for testing there have, however, expired on March 31 — after several renewals in the past.
Autonomous ride-hailing services have faced opposition in the Big Apple, with the Independent Drivers Guild — which represents over 80,000 Uber and Lyft drivers — gathering more than 20,000 signatures on a petition to ban testing and services there.
Additionally, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has deep ties to the taxi driver community.
Questioned about the renewal of the permit, he stated that “if a company like Waymo finds itself in New York City, what they will also find is a City government that is committed to delivering for the workers who keep the city running.”
Waymo has argued that its operations create jobs, estimating that roughly 190 workers are required to manufacture and service every 1,000 automated vehicles produced annually.
Global Expansion Push
A Toronto launch would mark Waymo‘s first Canadian market and add to an accelerating international push.
The Alphabet subsidiary is preparing to begin operations in London and Tokyo — its first right-hand drive markets — with executives saying last month that a Tokyo launch “could be ready in a few months.”
Waymo is currently available across 11 US cities — with the most recent one having been Nashville, Tennessee.
Washington DC, is lined up as the next domestic market, with expansion plans for 18 additional US cities.
Co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said earlier this month that the company now provides 500,000 paid rides per week, targeting one million by year-end.
