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Uber testing self-driving cars near U of T campus

Raquel Urtasun, head of Uber's Toronto Advanced Technologies Group, poses for a photo.
Raquel Urtasun, head of Uber's Toronto Advanced Technologies Group, poses for a photo. Uber Canada

If you happen to be near the University of Toronto campus and see a car drive by without the driver’s hands on the wheel, don’t be alarmed.

Uber says it has been conducting self-driving vehicle tests in the area, as part of a road-mapping project that aims to support the ride-share giant’s Toronto-based driverless car technology research hub.

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A driver always sits behind the wheel, Uber assured, ready to manually take control of the car as needed.

READ MORE: Uber’s self-driving cars hit Toronto streets in manual mode

“Our vehicles will continue to conduct testing, and may engage in autonomous mode as needed with a driver always behind the wheel. We have obtained a permit from the province for our development testing efforts,” an Uber spokesperson told Global News.

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In August, Uber announced that the vehicles had begun mapping operations in manual mode.

The company says the cars are not operating on Uber’s ride-sharing platform, and that there are no immediate plans to use self-driving cars to transport passengers.

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