Baidu Self-Driving Taxis Approved to Operate in Hong Kong

Baidu’s Apollo Go self-driving taxi service is set to make its first foray off the Chinese mainland, having been granted a license to test in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Transport Department confirmed that the company had received permission to operate 10 autonomous vehicles (AVs), with the newly issued permit stretching from Dec. 9 of this year to Dec. 8, 2029.

As you would imagine, given that it is the first such license that has been issued in Hong Kong, there are a number of conditions attached.

First, the specific area covered is restricted to sections of road between car park four at Hong Kong International Airport and Chek Kap Kok South Road.

And although the taxis – Baidu’s latest electric RT6 models, made by partner Jiangling Motors – have full autonomous capability, initially at least a human safety driver will be on board to oversee proceedings and take control if necessary.

Furthermore, it has been decided that only one AV will be allowed to operate at a time on designated roads, and at specific times too – between  1 a.m. and 5 a.m. and also 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The program will also constitute Baidu’s first test of a right-hand-drive AV, with all of its deployments in China currently of LHD self-driving taxis.

Issuing of the license marks a significant step forward for Baidu, which has made no secret of its ambitions to massively grow its self-driving taxi operation.

Related:Baidu Self-Driving Taxi Launches in China

Two years ago it revealed plans to roll out the world’s largest fully driverless ride-hailing service area, having established itself as one of the main players in China, launching the country’s first fully driverless services in Wuhan and Chongqing.

Apollo Go is now available in more than 10 Chinese cities, with Wuhan leading the way as its main hub. The company hopes to have nearly 1,000 of its RT6 models running there by the end of the year.

And in October it emerged that Baidu was looking further afield, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that operations in Hong Kong, the Middle East and Singapore were on its radar.

Now that Hong Kong has come to fruition, a spokesperson told Reuters: “Apollo Go looks forward to bringing the benefit of AI and autonomous driving technology to more countries and regions. This marks an important milestone in our journey towards globalization.”

Beyond extending its reach, Baidu is also confident that Apollo Go can become the world’s first profitable self-driving taxi platform – thanks in part to the fact that the new RT6 is around 50% cheaper than its predecessor at 200,000 yuan, which equates to just over $27,000.

Related:Baidu to Roll out World’s Largest Fully Driverless Ride-Hailing Service