Waymo lobbyists met with Ottawa city staff about autonomous ride-hailing operations
The California driverless company engaged Ottawa officials on regulations and ride-hail licensing in August. Mayor Sutcliffe says meetings were preliminary and no service launch is planned.
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Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company, hired Washington, D.C.-based Strategy Corp. to lobby Ottawa city officials about regulations governing driverless ride-hailing operations in August, according to the city's lobbyist registry.
Strategy Corp. consultants Garry Keller and Alex Bernst met with senior staff including John Light, the deputy chief of staff, as well as Deborah Lightman, manager of planning, development and building services, and Omar Choudhry, senior specialist in intelligent transportation systems. The discussion topic was "bylaws and regulations related to autonomous driving technologies, including as they relate to operational authorizations and ride-hail operations." The contacts, including a phone call on August 17 and email on August 20, culminated in a preliminary meeting on August 26.
Omar Choudhry sits on an advisory committee for Carleton University's Building Trust in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles program, which trains Canada's leaders in connected and autonomous vehicles. Choudhry brings 28 years of experience on similar technology projects across the United States and Canada.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said Friday through a campaign spokesperson that "the meetings between Waymo and the City of Ottawa were preliminary in nature and there are no plans for Waymo to operate here." He added that "Waymo has still not begun testing its first Canadian service in Toronto. They have made no request to operate in Ottawa, and there is no timeline for them to do so. Any future proposal will have to go through a full regulatory process and the safety of Ottawa residents should be the first consideration."
Waymo currently operates autonomous ride-hailing services in five U.S. cities: Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay area. The company has partnerships with Uber in Austin and Atlanta. In Toronto, Waymo's plan involves manual driving for street mapping and testing before autonomous operations begin, with extensive trials in select neighborhoods planned to start soon.
Why did Waymo approach Ottawa now, given no testing has begun in Toronto?
What regulatory changes would Ottawa need to make to permit driverless operations?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
Which Waymo lobbyists met with Ottawa city staff?
Strategy Corp. consultants Garry Keller and Alex Bernst met with Ottawa officials on behalf of Waymo.
What was discussed in the Waymo meetings with Ottawa?
The meetings covered bylaws and regulations related to autonomous driving technologies, including operational authorizations and ride-hail operations.
When did Waymo's lobbying contacts with Ottawa occur?
Strategy Corp. made contact via phone call on August 17, email on August 20, and a preliminary meeting on August 26.
Where does Waymo currently operate autonomous ride-hailing services?
Waymo operates in five U.S. cities: Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay area, and has partnerships with Uber in Austin and Atlanta.
