Two small survey vehicles such as those shown will carry out an important task across Mississauga in the coming months. (Photo: City of Mississauga X)
No, they’re not a pair of fancy new enclosed golf carts. Nor are they oversized motorized toy cars being driven in parks around town by excited youngsters.
The two odd little vehicles that’ll travel across Mississauga over the next four months or so are actually out to complete an important mission that began last summer.
Sure once again to draw some curious looks from the public, and maybe police as well, the small electric survey vehicles are tasked to travel the city’s sidewalks, trails and park paths from now until October in search of “bumps, cracks and potholes.”
Described by the City of Mississauga at the program’s August 2025 launch as a “modified mobility scooter,” each vehicle is equipped with cameras and other instruments with which to complete their assignments.
Travelling at a data-collecting speed of about 15 km/h and manned by a one-person crew, the vehicles will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and will help maintenance crews “spot areas that need repairs,” the city said, adding anyone who comes across the tiny vehicles is asked to “please share the path.”
City officials said in an update on Monday, as the vehicles prepped for their 2026 spring/summer/fall jobs, the infrastructure inspections undertaken by the little cars will be conducted by two experienced technicians behind the wheel.
The first survey vehicle began doing its duty early last August and it was joined a short time later by its motorized likeness.
City officials said at the time a review following the program’s first summer would be conducted to determine if the mini vehicles would return in 2026 and perhaps beyond.
As they now set out on their journeys this year, it’s not clear if the survey vehicles and their operators have been given expanded tasks to complete this time around.
In addition to cameras that are angled down toward the pathways, each survey vehicle, known officially as an EV-Nano, is also outfitted with a flag, a rotating beacon light and LED lights on each side “to increase visibility to pedestrians sharing the pathway.”
Its appearance, the city noted earlier, “may prompt questions from citizens and local law enforcement.”
So, those who operate the survey vehicles and other city officials are prepared to describe the data collection process — essentially, what the small vehicle is doing — “to inform Mississauga residents and business owners on what to expect when the vehicle is present.”
According to a city document, EV-Nano will again complete its duties without any disruptions to the public on sidewalks, trails and pathways. It prioritizes courtesy and safety while operating, the city said in launching the initiative last year.
In addition to informing the city about what locations need to be repaired, as a supplement to staff inspections, the program will also collect data “for future rehabilitation forecast and budget” purposes.
The survey vehicles are supplied by Canadian engineering services firm Englobe Corp., the city said earlier.
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