Chinese technology company Baidu announced on Monday that it can sell robotaxi rides without any human staff in the vehicles.
Baidu
BEIJING — Chinese technology company Baidu announced on Friday that it can now operate robotaxis in part of the capital, Beijing, without staff or drivers inside.
This move eliminates the labor cost of operating self-driving taxis – up to the number of cars allowed.
The government approval initially covers 10 vehicles in the Beijing suburb of Yizhuang, home to many companies such as JD.com.
The suburb is the main site for testing and operation of public roads of Baidu’s robotaxi in the city of Beijing. In November 2021, local authorities allowed Baidu and rival robotaxi operator Pony.ai to charge fares for rides.
Public transport users can book heavily subsidized robotaxi rides through the companies’ apps.
Baidu shares its performance over 12 months.
Baidu shares briefly soared more than 15% during trading in Hong Kong on Friday.
The stock closed at an eight-week low on Thursday after the the company unveiled its AI-powered Ernie bot, a Chinese rival of ChatGPT. CEO Robin Li said the company’s Ernie bot wasn’t perfect and highlighted the need to improve the product.