Canada’s biggest city will be a testing ground for a new type of delivery driver.
What happened: Canadian manufacturer Magna International is conducting an autonomous delivery vehicle pilot in Toronto later this quarter. As many as 20 of its three-wheeled delivery vehicles will scoot around the city’s downtown and west end to complete last-mile deliveries.
- The vehicles, which are about the size of a cargo bike, will have a max speed of 32 kilometres per hour and be monitored by on-site and remote human operators.
Why it matters: This test will look to change the perception of autonomous delivery vehicles in major cities. Earlier pilots in cities like Toronto and Ottawa were unsuccessful, with bots blamed for impeding cyclists and pedestrians, particularly those with mobility or vision restrictions.
Zoom out: Another Canadian company trying out delivery bots is Real Life Robotics, which conducted a two-week test in Markham, Ontario, in March. The results were positive, the company told The Peak, and it will partner with Skip for another 90-day test there later this month.
Big picture: One study found that last-mile delivery accounts for as much as 53% of delivery costs, due in part to labour and fuel. Bots could offer a viable (and green) solution to this industrywide bugbear. That said, it could come at the expense of delivery drivers, who make up a sizable chunk of Canada’s workforce.—QH