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Driverless cars are set to hit the streets of Ontario, Canada next year, after the province issued the first permits for autonomous vehicles earlier this week. 

In an email statement to Automotive News, Ministry of Transportation spokeswoman Andrea Ernesaks explained specific details of the permits and how they can be used.

“Autonomous Vehicles can only be on the roads with a permit -- the permit must be with the driver and in the vehicle at all times it is being driven -- and there are a few safety precautions inherent to the pilot.”

The first autonomous vehicles to be tested in real life situations on public roads will come from the University of Waterloo, Blackberry and the Erwin Hymer Group.

Currently, the University of Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) is testing two autonomous cars in a large parking lot in Stratford, Ontario. One of those vehicles is expected to take the road for testing in the first quarter of 2017.

For Pearl Sullivan, the University of Waterloo’s Dean of Faculty of Engineering, seeing the university lead the autonomous car movement in Canada brings a real sense of pride.

“This is a direction in automotive engineering innovation that we are proud to lead in Canada, and we applaud the Government of Ontario for their foresight,” Sullivan said via Automotive News.

Ross McKenzie, the Managing Director of WatCAR, said “we’re honored to be the first approved participant,” but McKenzie emphasized a main point of emphasis for the cars once they hit the road.

“As a university research center, our ultimate goal is to make the vehicle operate safely. Safety is our first priority.”

Cars won’t be the only vehicles hitting the roads thanks to these permits. The Erwin Hymer Group is expected to test a Mercedes-Benz van equipped with autonomous technology.

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