Baidu Launches China's First Fully Driverless Commercial Robotaxi Service
Baidu secures historic permits to operate completely driverless commercial robotaxis in Wuhan and Chongqing, marking a major milestone for autonomous driving in China.
Chinese tech giant Baidu officially secures permits to operate a fully driverless commercial robotaxi service in Wuhan and Chongqing. Unlike its recent Beijing operations, which still require a human safety operator in the front seat, these new permits allow Apollo Go vehicles to transport passengers with absolutely no human driver present. Baidu claims this marks the first time any company offers a fully driverless commercial ride-hailing service in China.
The initial deployments remain limited in scope and geography to ensure safety and smooth operations. Wuhan's service runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. across a 13-square-kilometer area in its Economic and Technological Development Zone, while Chongqing operates from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. over a 30-square-kilometer area in Yongchuan District. Each city starts with a modest fleet of five fifth-generation Apollo robotaxis navigating wide, newly built roads in areas that are not densely populated.
Both cities provide highly favorable environments for this autonomous technology rollout due to extensive prior testing and advanced infrastructure. Chongqing's Yongchuan District serves as an established pilot zone where test vehicles have already accumulated one million kilometers of driving. Meanwhile, Wuhan's designated zone features over 300 kilometers of upgraded roads, including 106 kilometers equipped with 5G-powered vehicle-to-everything (V2X) infrastructure that helps the robotaxis perceive and share real-time environmental data.