Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, on Friday launched its first autonomous driving operation line, making it the first among the country's first-tier cities that operate such lines linking downtown with train station and airport, the Global Times learned from domestic autonomous driving startup Pony.ai.
According to the introduction, the operation line covers four routes and five destinations. Users can take autonomous driving vehicles to travel back and forth between designated positions in downtown Guangzhou and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport or Guangzhou South Railway Station. It said the routes will also cover urban area and high-speed roads.
The Toyota Sienna-based Robotaxi, equipped with Pony.ai's sixth-generation autonomous driving system, will conduct the unmanned passenger-carrying demonstration. The company said it has already obtained approval for the plan and demonstration routes from the Guangzhou government.
Notably, Guangzhou has passed Regulations on the Innovative Development of Intelligent Internet Connection Vehicles in Guangzhou, which will take effect starting from February 28. These regulations aim to promote a pilot area for mixed human and autonomous driving throughout the city, and support the innovative application of intelligent connected vehicles in urban roads, highways, airports, ports, stations, and other major transportation hubs, according to the circular.
China's autonomous driving sector is ramping up with a robust expansion of road testing sweeping the country. Pony.ai has unlocked autonomous driving scenarios at key transportation hubs in Beijing, such as Beijing Daxing International Airport and Beijing South Railway Station.
In addition, other autonomous driving firms including WeRide Inc and Baidu's Robotaxi announced in February last year that they were also granted permission to charge for trips using their self-driving taxi fleets between Beijing Daxing International Airport and Yizhuang area.
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