Driverless taxis could soon be cruising the streets of Canada’s biggest city.
What happened: Robo-taxi operator Waymo is planning to apply for Ontario’s automated vehicle pilot program, per the Toronto Star, paving the way to eventually launch its commercial ride-hailing service in Toronto.
Waymo, which has seen its weekly ridership double to 500,000 over the past year, is already operating in 11 U.S. cities and is looking to expand into 20+ more, including Tokyo and London.
Why it matters: If it’s cleared by the Ontario government, Waymo’s Toronto launch would mark Canada’s first-ever driverless taxi fleet. The upside of bringing autonomous ride-hailing to the country is compelling, but it isn’t without its critics.
Waymo claims its cars reduce fatal crashes by 92%, and will eventually reduce the cost of rides for consumers. While they’re still more expensive than Uber or Lyft, the price gap between Waymo and other ride-hailing services is shrinking quickly.
On the other hand, many people — including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow — are concerned robotaxis would displace taxi and ride-hailing jobs.
Zoom out: Ontario giving Waymo the green light could have a ripple effect across the country. Waymo is lobbying the B.C. government to change its rules around driverless cars (which are currently banned) to allow it to expand to the province.
Our take: Waymo’s had some high-profile blunders — including power outages that left vehicles stuck in traffic — but it's clear this technology has already reached the point where, on average, it’s far safer behind the wheel than we are.—LA
