Ponyai

Chinese tech companies Baidu's Apollo Go and Pony.ai announced Thursday they received permission from Beijing city authorities to remove the safety driver for part of their robotaxi business in a suburban part of the city.Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's capital city has moved one step closer toward letting ordinary people take robotaxis with no driver in them.In a first for the country, two Chinese companies — Baidu's Apollo Go and Pony.ai — announced Thursday they received permission from Beijing…

Autonomous driving developer Pony.ai announced it has received a license to operate its self-driving taxis in China, the first company to achieve the permit. Pony.ai will soon have 100 robotaxis in operation throughout Nansha, Guangzhou, charging riders fares alongside traditional taxis. Pony.ai Inc. is a technology company founded in 2016 that specializes in autonomous mobility. It currently has partnerships with global OEMs like Toyota and GAC Group as it works to bring its autonomous taxi technology to public…

Baidu and Pony.ai have been given permission to operate their autonomous vehicles without safety drivers in Beijing, a first for robotaxi services in China (via CNBC). Although both companies now no longer need a staff member in the driver’s seat, they’ll still need a supervisor present somewhere in the vehicle. Baidu and Pony.ai can’t operate throughout the entire city of Beijing just yet — they’re limited to a 60 square kilometer (23.1 square mile) area in Yizhuang, Beijing, the home of about 300,000 residents. While…

A Baidu Apollo Robotaxi passes its customer service counter setup at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Sunday, May 2, 2021. China has granted Chinese internet services company Baidu and a rival autonomous car company, Pony.ai, permits to provide driverless ride-hailing services to the public in Beijing, a significant regulatory step in the country's pursuit of driverless technology. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong, File China has…

Pony.ai has received a license to operate its autonomous taxi service in China, making it the first company to win the country’s approval (via Reuters). Starting in May, the Toyota-backed robotaxi service will operate 100 autonomous vehicles in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, and will later expand to serve other portions of the city. Pony.ai says riders can hail and pay for rides from the company’s app between 8:30AM to 10:30PM, and that its fares will align with the “standard taxi pricing” in Guangzhou. The…