The first robot taxi in China is a vehicle from the start-up Pony.ai.
The enterprise Pony.ai has received approval to use 100 autonomous vehicles as traditional taxis in Guangzhouto operate and is the first company to obtain a taxi license in China.
Pony.ai will start as early as May with the vehicles that will circulate in the Nansha area. The taxis are allowed to charge, and the service is gradually being expanded to other areas of Guangzhou. The service can be booked and paid for via the app, which is based on the price of the taxis.
The vehicles will run both day and night, but only within the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. There are still security personnel on board, but this is to be removed soon.
Pony.ai is already allowed to charge fees in Beijing, making it the only company licensed in two cities. Other cities are to follow by 2025, for which massive tests are currently being carried out – also in California.
Numerous conditions had to be met for the license in Guangzhou, such as at least one million test kilometers, no accidents and a liability strategy.