Waymo test cars now on Toronto streets as concerns grow

Waymo vehicles have started appearing on Toronto streets, just weeks after the self-driving taxi company announced on Oct. 16 that it would begin testing in the city, MobileSyrup reported Tuesday.

The company said then that it had been cleared to take part in Ontario’s pilot program for autonomous vehicles and was aiming to carry its first passengers in 2028. It is working with Toronto-based Element Fleet Management on maintenance and support. Our earlier report has the details of that plan.

Mayor Olivia Chow’s office has not welcomed the arrival. Press secretary Braman Thillainathan told the Toronto Star that any move toward autonomous vehicles “must not put people out of work or undermine workers’ livelihoods.” He added that the mayor “will not support Waymo if it costs jobs, drives down wages for other workers, or contributes to precarious work in our city.”

Toronto does not regulate autonomous vehicles itself. The province sets those rules, which limits what City Hall can do.

Lobbying records show Waymo’s consultants were in touch with City Hall around the announcement. Lobbyist Aidan Grove-White of StrategyCorp logged a call on the eve of the announcement with Adam Chaleff, the mayor’s director of legislative affairs and issues management. Another StrategyCorp lobbyist, Alex Bernst, attended an Oct. 22 meeting with staff from Transportation Services. Columnist Matt Elliott first reported the lobbying entries in his City Hall Watcher newsletter. No details of what was discussed are public.

Opposition has also come from the taxi industry. Kristine Hubbard, managing director of Beck Taxi, pointed to a video posted Monday that appears to show a Waymo vehicle, with a human driver aboard, turning through a pedestrian crossing while the walk signal was lit. Hubbard told blogTO that the company’s arrival comes as Canadians try to protect their sovereignty and that “roads are less safe,” based on the social media posts.

Waymo’s own data suggests its robotaxis are involved in fewer accidents than human drivers. The company has not publicly commented on the video, according to MobileSyrup’s report.

The Canadian Taxi Association’s president has said some drivers could eventually be replaced, but that no one should be pressing the panic button and that cab companies would consider adding autonomous vehicles.

The vehicles now on the road are part of the testing phase. Paid rides are not expected until 2028.

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Sources: MobileSyrup; CP24.