Baidu Secures First 'Fully Driverless Robotaxi' Permits in China - No Safety Drivers Needed From Now On!

Baidu's robotaxis can now operate even without the presence of a safety driver after securing necessary permits from the Chinese government. The company claims to be the first in the nation to acquire such permits.

As reported by Reuters, commercial robotaxis can now provide rides to the general public without having human safety drivers in the vehicle, thanks to permits issued by the municipalities of Chongqing in the southwest and Wuhan in the center.

Fully Driverless Cars

For context, Baidu was already given permission to operate an autonomous taxi service in Beijing back in April, provided that a human operator was seated in the driver's or front passenger's seat.

But after securing additional permits, it will now be able to provide a service where the only people present in the autonomous cars are passengers.

It is worth noting that the permissions will still include some restrictions. For instance, autonomous Apollo Go cars will only be allowed to transport passengers during the day across specific zones in Wuhan and Chongqing.

At the same time, the service areas will only span 30 square kilometers in the Yongchuan District of Chongqing and 13 square kilometers in the Economic & Technological Development Zone (WHDZ) of Wuhan.

According to Baidu, its robotaxis include a variety of safety features to support its essential autonomous driving capabilities. These functions include a safety operation network, monitoring redundancy, and remote driving capacity.

Engadget noted that this represents a significant advancement for Baidu as it seeks to provide robotaxi services on a broader scale. The automaker has also been developing its cars in the US for a while, and it may eventually emerge as a rival to companies like Waymo and Cruise.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla