Waymo in Toronto

faqs

• faqs

  • Do you need permission from the government to operate in Toronto?

    Yes. We’ve been approved to take part in the Automated Vehicle Pilot Program, receiving our official provincial permit from Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation to begin manual driving and testing. We will continue to work with regulators to ensure we have the proper permits in hand through every phase of our operations.

  • What areas will you be driving in?

    We will soon begin conducting extensive trials of Waymo’s technology as part of our mapping and safety validation work across select neighbourhoods in Toronto, including but not limited to the St. Lawrence Market, Harbourfront, Roncesvalles Village, Parkdale, Liberty Village, Don Mills, Yorkdale, Leaside, East York, Summerhill, Yonge & Eglinton, Weston, Mimico, and Etobicoke. 

    We are not yet offering commercial rides, but our testing hours typically run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure our technology can safely handle all of Toronto’s road conditions. All testing on public roads in Toronto will be conducted as part of Ontario’s Automated Vehicle Pilot Program (AVPP).

  • When will I be able to ride?

    We are working hard to bring our fully autonomous service to Toronto in 2028, collaborating closely with authorities to secure the required permits. The best way to stay informed about our expansion and service launch is to sign up here. We will notify you as soon as our commercial service becomes available in your area.

  • Will riders be able to hail from the Waymo app or another app?

    Once we’re ready to open our doors in 2028, riders can hail from the Waymo app.

  • How many vehicles will you arrive with and how many vehicles do you plan to launch with?

    We’re beginning with a limited number of our all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles and will scale gradually over time.

  • What is the purpose of manual driving?

    Experience is the best teacher. Before a Waymo vehicle ever drives autonomously in a new city, human drivers lead the way. Waymo drives on public roads to introduce and refine its autonomous driving technology in real-world conditions, enabling us to map and understand unique neighborhood traffic patterns. It’s how we build a foundation of safety from day one.

  • What kind of experience/background do the autonomous specialists have?

    Our autonomous specialists who are present in the vehicle during testing are highly trained, local professionals. They often have a background in professional driving or vehicle operations, combined with technical expertise in software and system troubleshooting. They undergo rigorous internal training and certification to understand autonomous system fundamentals, safety protocols, and emergency procedures. Investing locally is a core part of how Waymo scales in every city we enter.

  • Does the Waymo Driver operate in the snow?

    Waymo has spent years testing in diverse snowy and icy environments to validate our autonomous system's ability to safely navigate freezing conditions. Our 6th generation Waymo Driver is equipped with advanced sensor-cleaning mechanisms, allowing it to sustain fully autonomous service in snowier, icier conditions. 

    We teach our system to recognize when it's snowy, have the proper mitigations in place to scrape and clear snow from our sensors (much like a human driver would clear windows and lights), and adjust our driving behavior to account for changing human driver behavior and road conditions like snow and ice. Today, we operate at below-freezing temperatures in the U.S., including with frost and hail, and we’re validating our system to navigate harsher weather conditions.

  • Will Toronto be your first city with winter weather conditions?

    No. We currently operate in several cities that receive snow annually including Denver, Colorado, and Detroit, Michigan. Waymo has invested in weather testing since its earliest days as Google's Self-Driving Car Project. We have spent years testing in diverse snowy and icy environments across the US, regularly driving in Upstate New York, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the Sierra, building our technology for all-season operations.

  • Will Waymo drive during all snowy conditions (blizzards)?

    We've built our 6th generation Waymo Driver to safely navigate more diverse environments, including those with extreme winter weather. That said, we will abide by local guidance as we operate through winter weather conditions. There are conditions that any driver – human or autonomous – should not drive in, and we will prioritize safety and adjust operations as needed.

  • Are you filming what's around the vehicle?

    Our vehicles are equipped with a suite of sensors—including cameras, lidar, and radar—that continuously perceive the world around the vehicle. This is essential for the Waymo Driver to safely navigate its surroundings, spot other road users  like cyclists and streetcars, and obey traffic signals. Aligned with our commitment to privacy, this data is used solely to develop and validate our safety-critical autonomous driving technology. You can learn more about Waymo’s approach in our Setting the Standard for Privacy in Autonomous Mobility post and in our Privacy Policy here.

  • What is Waymo’s commitment to privacy?

    Waymo's deeply committed to protecting the privacy of our riders. We will comply with all applicable Canadian privacy laws. You can learn more about Waymo’s approach in our Setting the Standard for Privacy in Autonomous Mobility post and in our Privacy Policy here.

  • How does Waymo ensure safe interactions with cyclists and pedestrians in urban environments?

    Waymo vehicles are equipped with a sophisticated suite of sensors—including cameras, lidar, and radar—that build a detailed, 360-degree understanding of their surroundings and are able to see and distinguish between vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians. Our software predicts the behavior of these road users and maneuvers our vehicles to interact safely and respectfully, giving them ample space. We also utilise visual and audio cues to clearly communicate the Waymo Driver’s intentions to people outside the vehicle, fostering predictable and safe interactions in busy urban settings with high numbers of cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, we’ve created Safe Exit features to ensure our riders remain respectful of approaching cyclists upon their arrival at their destination.