Direct answer
In October 2026 two established fleet companies deepened their robotaxi commitments. Hertz-backed Oro Mobility announced an $80 million equity investment on October 20 to grow its autonomous and driver-led fleet operations, and Element Fleet Management announced on October 16 that it will provide end-to-end fleet management for Waymo's planned Toronto launch. Both announcements describe management of the physical work behind driverless rides; neither publishes subcontractor terms, local rates or hiring details. [1] [3]
What was announced, and when
On October 20, 2026 Hertz Global Holdings announced that Oro Mobility, the affiliate it established earlier in the year, had secured $80 million in strategic equity from a consortium including Cohen Private Ventures and funds affiliated with Certares Opportunities and Knighthead Capital Management. Hertz keeps majority economic ownership and remains Oro's fleet and corporate services partner. The release describes Oro as operating about 45,000 vehicles across three lines of business: rideshare rentals, driver-led fleet management and autonomous vehicle fleet management. [1]
The autonomous line traces to April 30, 2026, when Hertz and Uber announced that Oro would provide day-to-day vehicle asset management, including charging, maintenance, repairs, cleaning and depot staffing, for Uber's forthcoming robotaxi service built with Lucid Gravity SUVs and Nuro's driving system. The San Francisco Bay Area was the only location named, with a launch targeted by the end of 2026 and expansion to be explored in 2027. [2]
On October 16, 2026 Element Fleet Management announced the next phase of its Waymo partnership: end-to-end fleet management for Waymo's planned Toronto service, which Waymo expects to open to first riders in 2028. This builds on the multi-year agreement announced June 15, 2026, under which Element began supporting Waymo's operation in San Diego with fleet readiness, charging infrastructure management, energy optimization, maintenance and compliance. [3] [4] [5]
What each company says it will do
The table separates the work each announcement names from the work it does not mention. An absence in a press release is not evidence that the work is excluded; it means the public record does not yet establish who performs it.
| Company | Named in the announcements | Not stated |
|---|---|---|
| Oro Mobility (Hertz) | Charging, maintenance, repairs, cleaning and depot staffing for Uber's Lucid–Nuro robotaxis; rideshare rentals and driver-led fleet management. [1] [2] | Which depots, which subcontractors, vehicle storage terms and the first market beyond the Bay Area. |
| Element Fleet Management | End-to-end fleet management for Waymo in San Diego and, from 2028, Toronto: fleet readiness, charging infrastructure management, energy optimization, maintenance, compliance and performance monitoring. [3] [4] | Cleaning, roadside recovery, facility locations and whether local vendors will be engaged directly by Element or by Waymo. |
| Waymo (Toronto) | Investment in local facilities and jobs; hundreds of roles over time in fleet maintenance, validation driving and customer service, with partners. [5] | Facility addresses, a vehicle count and the share of roles that sit with Element rather than Waymo. |
Why this matters for service businesses
Both companies describe themselves as an orchestration layer. Hertz says Oro aims to fill an orchestration and operations gap as the industry shifts to commercially operated fleets; Element says scaling autonomous fleets requires an integrated operational and digital orchestration layer. For a detailing shop, tire dealer, glass installer or tow operator, the practical consequence is that the customer for routine robotaxi work may be a fleet manager under contract rather than the autonomy company itself. [1] [4]
That changes who to contact. Our fleet operations partners guide lists the companies with announced contracts and their supplier channels; the new announcements add Toronto to Element's footprint and signal that Oro intends to operate independently of Hertz's rental business. Neither company has published a supplier onboarding process specific to robotaxi work as of our review date. [1] [3]
The investment also tells a story about risk. The Hertz release says the $80 million will fund fleet, operational infrastructure, technology, talent and strategic partnerships. TechCrunch's April report noted that Hertz sold off its earlier electric-vehicle fleet in 2024 partly because maintenance costs ran higher than expected; the robotaxi contract is a bet that managing someone else's vehicles under contract is a different business from owning them. [1] [2]
What the announcements do not establish
None of the releases publishes contract values, fleet counts for the robotaxi lines, or the number of vehicles Oro or Element will manage in a given city. The Uber–Lucid–Nuro service had not launched as of our review date; its scheduled end-of-2026 Bay Area start is a plan, not an operating service. Toronto is a 2028 target with manual driving beginning first. [2] [3] [5]
The Hertz release does not mention Uber, Lucid or Nuro by name; the connection rests on the April announcement. Readers should treat the two documents together rather than assume the October funding changes the April scope. [1] [2]
Frequently asked questions
Is Oro Mobility hiring local service vendors for robotaxi work?
UNKNOWN. The October 20 release describes growth in fleet, infrastructure, talent and partnerships but publishes no vendor program. The April announcement names the Bay Area as the first market for the Uber robotaxi service. [1] [2]
Does Element's Toronto role include cleaning and towing?
Not established. Element describes end-to-end fleet management, and its San Diego scope names readiness, charging, energy, maintenance and compliance. Cleaning and recovery are not listed in either release. [3] [4]
When will Waymo carry riders in Toronto?
Waymo's stated goal is 2028. Vehicles were to appear on Toronto streets within days of the October 16 announcement, driven manually at first, followed by mapping and supervised validation. [5]
What we don’t know yet
- Contract values, vehicle counts and depot locations for the Oro and Element robotaxi lines.
- Whether local service vendors will contract with the fleet manager, the autonomy company or both.
- The launch date and first depot for the Uber–Lucid–Nuro Bay Area service.
Sources
- Hertz: Oro Mobility secures $80 million strategic equity investment (October 20, 2026) · Accessed
- TechCrunch: Uber taps Hertz to clean, charge and fix its Lucid robotaxis (April 30, 2026) · Accessed
- Element: expanded strategic partnership with Waymo for Toronto (October 16, 2026) · Accessed
- Element: partnership with Waymo, first deployment in San Diego (June 15, 2026) · Accessed
- Waymo: Hello Toronto, Waymo is en route (October 16, 2026) · Accessed
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