Beijing enacted new regulations aimed at promoting autonomous driving technology within the city, with plans to eventually introduce driverless public buses and taxis. Autonomous vehicles that successfully complete road tests and safety evaluations will be eligible to apply for road trials, with these new regulations set to take effect on April 1, according to Beijing Daily.
The city is in favor of utilizing autonomous vehicles for private cars, urban buses, trams and taxis, and it is also keen on fostering the development of intelligent road infrastructure to support such transportation systems. In a related announcement, the city of Wuhan, mainland China, also revealed that it had approved regulations to advance the development of intelligent connected vehicles.
Mainland Chinese authorities have been actively approving trials for self-driving technology, with at least 19 cities conducting tests for robo-taxis and robo-buses, as reported by Reuters in August 2024.
Among the companies operating large robo-taxi fleets in mainland China is Apollo Go, a subsidiary of tech giant Baidu, which aimed to deploy 1,000 robo-taxis in Wuhan by the end of 2024. Pony.ai, which went public in the US market in November 2024, plans to expand its robo-taxi fleet to over 1,000 nationwide by 2026, up from 250 in 2024. Other companies exploring robo-taxi opportunities in the world's largest automotive market include WeRide, AutoX and SAIC Motor.
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