Waymo, the renowned American self-driving technology company, is eyeing an expansion of its popular autonomous taxi service into the Canadian market.
In a recent announcement, representatives from the California-based firm expressed their interest in bringing their driverless ride-hailing service to some of Canada’s largest cities. Waymo’s spokesperson, Ethan Teicher, emphasized the company’s global ambitions and ongoing discussions with Canadian officials to pave the way for introducing their fully autonomous service in the future.
A subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, Waymo currently operates its robotaxi service in select urban areas across the United States. The company has unveiled plans to extend its reach to 12 major cities, primarily focusing on regions with milder climates to minimize weather-related challenges.
City of Toronto records reveal that Waymo’s co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, and two other company members have been approved as registered lobbyists to advocate for regulations related to autonomous driving technologies, including operational authorizations and ride-hail operations.
While Waymo reported over 250,000 weekly rides in April, recent leaked documents indicate a significant surge in popularity, with ridership surpassing 450,000 weekly rides in cities where the service is available.
Meanwhile, Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has also entered the autonomous taxi arena, launching a commercial service in Austin, Texas. Ontario officials had previously halted a pilot project testing self-driving shuttle buses in Toronto after an incident that resulted in injuries.
Toronto has explored various autonomous vehicle initiatives, including a pilot program for self-driving delivery vehicles. Safety remains a paramount concern in the development of autonomous vehicles following notable incidents like the first self-driving car-related fatality in 2018.