A report released by the Conference Board of Canada in January says that Canada needs to move faster to clear the way for driverless cars in order to capitalize on its market potential.

“This report is intended to be a wake-up call for public and private policy-makers, who must act soon to keep Canada in the 'game' of automated vehicles," or AVs, the report says.

Canada is starting to recognize this demand, and preparing for the impact that such disruptive technology will have on the industry and society, the report says. Failure to take more action might mean that Canadian companies could lose out on gaining a share of the market when it comes to the emerging global market for AVs.

The Toronto Star newspaper says that Blackberry business unit QNX makes software that runs in most of the world's cars and is partnering with Italy's University of Parma VisLab4 to develop AV systems.

The tech giant Apple has also reportedly said in Toronto Star that it talked to Canadian auto-parts maker Magna International about its plans for developing an electric car. It has reportedly toured a Magna plant in Graz, Austria, that can assemble a complete vehicle.

Other regions are gaining advantage, the report says; Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry will test driverless taxi pods in its central core this year. Meanwhile, Finland's capital, Helsinki, has announced plans to transform its public transport system into a driverless taxi-like service that consumers can utilize with a smartphone app.