Chinese search engine giant Baidu has been granted permission to commercially operate autonomous taxis on public roads in the cities of Wuhan and Chongqing.
Through the company’s autonomous platform, Apollo Go, Baidu will offer commercial robotaxi services – without a driver present – in several areas of the two cities.
Baidu said it would implement redundant monitoring and parallel driving for safety purposes.
Currently, Baidu has launched Apollo Go pilot services in various cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
In recent years, several companies in China have developed autonomous mobility capabilities that can be used for commercial purposes.
On the other hand, the Chinese government has launched a series of policies to promote the development and commercialization of autonomous driving technology.
