Torontonians have mixed reactions about a new kind of delivery vehicle that will soon be rolling through the streets of Toronto, and it won’t have a driver behind the wheel.
A pilot project from Magna International Inc. has been approved by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO), allowing the company to test its driverless, three-wheeled vehicles on select city streets, according to a report to the infrastructure and environment committee.
The pilot is part of a broader provincial program under Ontario Regulation 306/15 of the Highway Traffic Act, which governs automated vehicle testing in the province.
These vehicles are expected to launch in the second quarter of this year and will be monitored closely by transportation staff at both the city and provincial levels.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE ROAD
Magna’s Last Mile Delivery Devices (LMDDs) are compact, electric vehicles that resemble large cargo bikes, but instead of pedals, they’re powered by an automated driving system (ADS) and operate without a driver.
They’re built to travel up to 32km/h and will be restricted to streets with speed limits of 40km/h or less.
Deliveries will be stored in locked compartments accessible by code given to the customer.
While the pilot will begin with only one or two vehicles, Magna is hoping to gradually scale up to 20, which is pending further provincial approval.
The vehicles will be limited to parts of Wards 4, 5, 9, 11 and 12 – areas bounded by Eglinton Ave. to the north, Avenue Rd. to the east, Queen St. and College St. to the south, and Keele St. and Parkside Dr. to the west.
Toronto was selected for its density and high number of low-speed commercial roads, making it a viable test area for driverless deliveries, the report says.
THE PUBLIC’S REACTIONS
Toronto residents are already weighing in on how these new vehicles could change the streets, for better or for worse.
“I look forward to the eventual safety verification and maturity of this technology, and view it as preferable to half the population behind the wheel, looking down at phones in plain sight with zero fear from ever being caught (because it’s not enforced nearly enough),” a user commented on Reddit.
Another added, “I wish the project started off at a faster speed but I understand why it’s slower, and eventually it’s going to increase if we want to be using these on a wider scale. I just don’t think drivers are going to adapt to this well.”
However, not everyone is thrilled. One commenter raised a red flag about job loss for a marginalized community.
“Would this not put half our temporary workers out of a job?”
There are also some people who are not sold on how safe these vehicles will be. . David Shellnutt, a Toronto-based personal injury lawyer who represents cyclists and pedestrians, warned that although autonomous vehicles might cut down on unpredictable human driving, their safety is far from assured.
“I think there is an opportunity here that driverless cars will create more consistent driving patterns and less dangerous maneuvers than people behind the wheel,” he told Now Toronto on Thursday.
“I think that’s possible, and perhaps that’s great and will reduce collisions. But I think that the jury is still out on whether these driverless cars are really going to be safe on our streets. I would tell cyclist pedestrians to treat them like I would treat a car with a motorist in it. To expect the unexpected.”
BUILT WITH SAFETY IN MIND
Each vehicle is equipped with 360-degree cameras, radars and LiDar systems to navigate city streets and detect pedestrians and cyclists.
“Radar and LiDAR work by emitting radio wave (radar) and laser (lidar) pulses and measuring the time they take to reflect back, allowing calculation of shape of an object and its distance away,” the report stated.
Magna said it has tested the vehicles extensively in Ontario and Michigan, including cold-weather and rainy conditions.
While the vehicles will collect visual data to train their algorithms, Magna has said that personal information such as license plates will be blurred, and no camera footage will be shared.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR TORONTO?
Although Toronto has no regulatory control over the pilot, city staff were still consulted to improve the program.
A final report summarizing key findings and recommendations is expected by late 2026.
For now, the pilot offers an early glimpse into what a more automated delivery system might look like in an urban city like Toronto, with feedback already shaping the conversation.
