Kitchener partners with local startup to lay groundwork for autonomous shuttles

Diego Pizarro · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 15, 2025 2:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

The City of Kitchener has partnered with a section startup to hole for the imaginable usage of autonomous shuttles successful the city's downtown.

GeoMate Inc., which is located successful downtown Kitchener, creates high-definition maps that are utilized by autonomous vehicles. The tech institution approached the metropolis to make an AI-driven representation to supply up-to-date accusation astir on-going operation projects, roadworthy closures and aboriginal infrastructure projects to autonomous vehicles.

"We are benignant of taking mapping to the adjacent level with the metropolis and we're mapping each of the cardinal infrastructure that volition beryllium needed for autonomous vehicles successful the future," said Robert MacGregor, manager of partnerships astatine GeoMate inc. 

The task is funded by the provincial authorities done the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network.

The extremity is for Kitchener to 1 time person autonomous shuttles downtown that volition amended link residents to the LRT and nationalist spaces. 

Brian Bennett is the manager of concern improvement for the metropolis and says the concern with GeoMate volition spot metropolis unit supply information and in-kind services successful speech for the mapping.

He says the task gives the city "an accidental to beryllium astatine the forefront astir caller innovation, particularly with respect to autonomous vehicles. It allows america and gives america an accidental to beryllium a trial furniture for autonomous vehicles by automotive manufacturers going forward."

LISTEN | Tech institution mapping Kitchener for a aboriginal with autonomous vehicles:

How the maps are made

The process for creating a representation begins with GeoMate Inc. taking aerial photos of the city. The photos are past processed done the company's in-house AI that has been trained to place cardinal features successful proscription networks.

These see things similar crosswalks, sidewalks, motorcycle lanes, lane changes and postulation lights. Factors similar upwind events tin beryllium added successful real-time arsenic they occur. 

Kitchener volition supply the information astir locations of roadworthy closures and operation projects that volition past beryllium added to the map.

MacGregor says GeoMate started arsenic a institution that looked astatine however accessible sidewalks were for radical successful wheelchairs and with different mobility devices.

Now, the institution collects information that covers factors similar however pedestrian and bike-friendly a portion of the metropolis is arsenic good arsenic however accessible a sidewalk is.

This is done done a strategy MacGregor calls a "walking score" which is a standing from zero to 100 that indicates however pedestrian-friendly a determination is, based connected however adjacent it is to places similar market stores, schools, parks and restaurants.

Testing tract and shuttle services

MacGregor hopes this task volition bring autonomous conveyance investigating to Kitchener. 

"The extremity end is to marque Kitchener the premier spot for automotive testing. We bash a batch of enactment with automotive companies and a batch of that enactment happens successful countries that aren't Canada," helium said. 

MacGregor says the crushed Kitchener is specified an perfect spot for investigating is due to the fact that of its ample tech hub, choky municipality core, proximity to antithetic types of infrastructure and the information that it gets each 4 seasons. 

"For companies looking to trial their solutions successful the winter, for companies looking to, you know, trial it successful that slushy fall, outpouring season, Kitchener offers a truly bully spot to bash that," helium said. 

Bennett says they spot different applicable uses, including shuttles that could determination radical from LRT and autobus stops to different destinations.

"We're looking astatine it from an accidental to [have] autonomous shuttles downtown betwixt our assorted structured parking facilities to businesses wrong the downtown oregon from the Borden Street LRT presumption to The Aud during events that are taking place," helium said.

The metropolis is intrigued by autonomous shuttles, helium added due to the fact that they let for "more flexibility and much frequency" than a accepted autobus oregon shuttle.

MacGregor adds that the maps person applications beyond autonomous vehicles.

"These maps are besides bully for things similar robot delivery. They are besides conscionable truly bully astatine identifying proscription barriers," MacGregor said. 

Full-fledged autonomy inactive years away

The representation is expected to beryllium completed sometime adjacent year. As for erstwhile autonomous vehicles volition commencement being utilized successful Kitchener, MacGregor says that the reply is complicated. 

With the Ontario authorities and the national government, determination are definite restrictions successful spot astir autonomous driving," helium said. 

MacGregor added that the regulations inactive let for caller exertion to beryllium developed portion keeping radical safe.

"We're not conscionable saying, 'Hey, enactment your autonomous vehicles connected the roadworthy and let's spot however it goes.' similar immoderate different places successful North America mightiness be," helium said.

Bennett says there's nary timeline from the city's position but their anticipation is that automotive manufacturers spot what they're doing and commencement readying their aboriginal probe and improvement successful Kitchener, increasing the section economy.

He noted earlier immoderate investigating were to instrumentality spot successful the city, though, determination would beryllium nationalist consultations.

"We privation to guarantee the information and information of some the users of the vehicles arsenic good arsenic the wide nationalist going forward. So we would guarantee that the due information measures are implemented and successful spot earlier this launches," Bennett said.

Cities similar Los Angeles and San Francisco already let the autonomous ride-haling work Waymo to run connected their roads.

MacGregor says helium is much focused connected investigating successful the adjacent future.

"For Ontario, I deliberation we're a mates years distant from full-fledged autonomy connected the road. But we volition spot radical commencement to trial these vehicles sooner than later," helium said.

"Creating this trial furniture successful Kitchener volition truly assistance advancement that for Ontario residents and Canadians successful general," helium continued.