The City of Toronto has issued a Private Transportation Company (PTC)  licence to Uber – the first of its kind in Canada.

A new Vehicle-for-Hire bylaw came into effect July 15th – and in addition to allowing private transportation companies to operate, the bylaw includes changes which have been implemented for the taxi industry – such as flexible ownership for taxicab owners, and decreased annual licensing fees.

The city says it will now begin to screen and issue PTC driver licences to individuals performing vehicle-for-hire services through UberX – which includes criminal background checks, vehicle inspection certificates and insurance.

Meanwhile–Ford says it will have a fully autonomous vehicle ready to provide ride-hailing or ride-sharing services by 2021.

Ford C-E-O Mark Fields announced the new goal today.

The company says its new vehicle won’t need a steering wheel or gas and brake pedals – and will be specifically designed for commercial mobility services – like taxi companies.

Ford says personal ownership of self-driving cars will come later.