Waymo says it is laying the groundwork for a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Toronto, “with the goal of welcoming our first riders in 2028”, its first operations in Canada. Element Fleet Management, a Toronto-headquartered fleet company listed on the TSX, said on 16 October 2026 that it will manage onsite operations for Waymo’s Toronto fleet.
Waymo says it will begin driving manually in Toronto in the coming days, starting with high-definition mapping and testing with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel. Neither announcement states the value of the agreement.
Business Pill · TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP
A Business Engineer explainer on total cost of ownership, the costs of running an asset beyond its purchase price. It explains the concept in general and says nothing about Waymo or Element.
The key insight: As we read it, the Toronto announcement is as much about operations as about the car: Waymo says Element will provide end-to-end fleet management, and Element says it will run the people, facilities, charging and maintenance that keep the fleet ready, with first riders Waymo’s goal for 2028.
In its blog post, Waymo says Element “will provide end-to-end fleet management services” in Toronto. Element’s release says that through Element Mobility, its intelligent mobility division, it “will manage onsite operations for Waymo’s Toronto fleet”.
Element lists what that covers: it will coordinate “the people, facilities, infrastructure, and vehicle operations required to keep the fleet ready, available, and operating efficiently”, including fleet lifecycle management, vehicle readiness and maintenance, charging infrastructure, energy management and connected intelligence.
Both companies quote the same line from Waymo: “Together with Element and our partners, we’ll invest in hundreds of roles over time spanning fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service, and other operations functions that support our service.” Element’s release attributes it to Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development and strategic partnerships.
Waymo’s stated goal is to welcome its first riders in Toronto in 2028 (Waymo blog, 16 October 2026). Waymo has also said it is preparing a commercial unmanned ride-hailing service in Tokyo in 2027 (Waymo blog, September 2026) and fully autonomous ride-hailing in Singapore in 2028 (Waymo on X, 18 September 2026). Element Fleet Management says it will manage onsite operations for the Toronto fleet.
What Was Posted on X
Weโre bringing the magic of Waymo to Toronto! ๐จ๐ฆ
In the coming days, youโll begin seeing Waymoโs all-electric vehicles driving through Torontoโs streets as we lay the groundwork for our ride-hailing service.
Waymo’s own post announcing Toronto: it says its all-electric vehicles will start driving Toronto’s streets in the coming days as it lays the groundwork for ride-hailing, and that its goal is to begin serving riders in 2028.
The Partnership Behind It
Element says the Toronto agreement is the next phase of a multi-year partnership announced in June, when it began supporting Waymo’s autonomous operations in San Diego. Element describes itself as managing over 1.5 million vehicles globally.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana is quoted in both announcements: “Expanding into Canada marks an important milestone in Waymo’s global journey.” Waymo also points to existing ties to Canada, its investor relationship with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and its manufacturing partner Magna International.
Waymo says it is taking a “rigorous, phased, safety-first approach” in Toronto, and that the validation period will ensure the Waymo Driver adapts to the city’s driving conditions. It says it is working with accessibility groups including BALANCE for Blind Adults and CNIB.
Where Toronto Sits in Waymo’s Plans
Toronto is the latest of Waymo’s announced launches outside the United States. In September, Waymo said it had agreed with Nihon Kotsu and GO to prepare a commercial unmanned ride-hailing service in Tokyo in 2027, and said fully autonomous ride-hailing would arrive in Singapore in 2028.
As we read it, the work is split in two: Waymo supplies the Waymo Driver and the ride-hailing service, while Element, a fleet manager that says it oversees over 1.5 million vehicles, takes on the onsite work of keeping vehicles charged, maintained, cleaned and ready.
As we read it, the partnership is being extended city by city: Element says Toronto is the next phase of the multi-year agreement announced in June, when it began supporting Waymo’s operations in San Diego.
As we read it, the timeline is long by design: Waymo says it starts with manual driving, high-definition mapping and testing with specialists behind the wheel, and its stated goal for first riders is 2028.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, 16 October 2026
“Expanding into Canada marks an important milestone in Waymoโs global journey”
Three Implications
RIDERS IN TORONTO Waymo’s stated goal is to welcome its first riders in 2028; it asks people to sign up for updates at waymo.com/waymo-in-canada.
FLEET AND OPERATIONS PROVIDERS Element says it will cover fleet lifecycle management, vehicle readiness and maintenance, charging infrastructure, energy management and connected intelligence for the Toronto fleet.
WORKERS IN TORONTO Waymo says it and its partners will invest in hundreds of roles over time spanning fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service and other operations functions.
The framework puts the shift in one sentence: “SaaS is charged for access to tools. AGaaS charges for the execution of outcomes.”
As we read it, a robotaxi ride is an executed outcome, and the Toronto announcement shows the operations layer that outcome needs: Waymo supplies the driver, and Element says it will run the onsite fleet work. The framework was published in March 2026 and does not discuss Waymo or Element.
What Is Not Established
The announcements do not state the value or length of the Toronto agreement, how many vehicles Waymo plans to run in the city, or what regulatory approvals the service needs before it carries riders.
The 2028 date is Waymo’s stated goal. We did not contact Waymo or Element.
Waymo says it aims to welcome its first Toronto riders in 2028, its first operations in Canada, and Element Fleet Management says it will manage onsite operations for the fleet, from maintenance to charging.
Waymo says it and its partners will invest in hundreds of roles over time; neither announcement states financial terms.
A note on sourcing. This piece is based on the companies’ own announcements, read on 17 October 2026: Waymo’s blog post and X post on Toronto, Element Fleet Management’s news release, and Waymo’s earlier Tokyo and Singapore announcements. The 2028 date is Waymo’s stated goal. We did not contact Waymo or Element. The references to our earlier reporting link to our own pieces.
Gennaro Cuofano is a CRO and tech executive who has worked in AI since late 2015, starting with bringing NLP, natural-language generation, voice and chatbot products to the marketing industry. His background is in law and finance: he holds a Master's degree in Law and an International MBA with an emphasis on corporate finance (LUISS Business School and the University of San Diego, 2012), and worked as a financial analyst at a real-estate investment firm in San Diego and as an assistant controller. His work focuses on business model strategy, business engineering and, more broadly, structural analysis: how companies make money, read from their own filings. He created FourWeekMBA and leads research there and at The Business Engineer, his newsletter on AI and business strategy, with over 95,000 subscribers and more than 1,000 published analyses. His writing has also appeared on Entrepreneur, HackerNoon and Search Engine People. Find him on LinkedIn and Substack. See how we source.
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