Chinese search engine and cloud analytics firm Baidu has won a permit to provide a driverless ride-hailing service in Beijing. It said the new taxi service will be the “first-ever fully driverless fleet” in any capital city in the world. It follows the rollout of similar driverless cab (“robotaxi”) services – “with no human driver or safety operators in the car” – in Wuhan and Chongqing, also provided by Baidu.
A total of 10 driverless vehicles, operated by the firm’s Apollo Go ride-hailing platform, are to be deployed in the Yizhuang economic development zone (SEZ), in the southeast of the city. Yizhuang is an “active centre” for autonomous driving in China, a statement said.
