Baidu’s Apollo opens Robotaxi service in Guangzhou

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On July 17, Baidu officially opened its Apollo Go Robotaxi service to the public in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, marking another milestone in Baidu's development of autonomous driving technology.

Baidu launching Apollo Robotaxi service in Guangzhou; photo credit: Baidu

The launch in Guangzhou came after Baidu rolled out such service in Changsha, Cangzhou, and Beijing, making the Beijing-headquartered tech giant the No.1 self-driving company in China by the number of cities where it opens trial operation of Robotaxi service.

According to Baidu, the Apollo Go Robotaxi service in Guangzhou currently covers 237 pick-up and drop-off stations, and the number is still growing. Local commuters can hail Baidu's self-driving taxis via the Apollo GO App. In Guangzhou Science City, an area in the Huangpu industrial district, Baidu Apollo's Robotaxis can transport passengers along a route that encompasses schools, hospitals, parks, hotels, and offices.

In May, Baidu kicked off the commercial trial operation of its driverless Robotaxi service in Shougang Industrial Park, where its self-driving cars ferried 1,500 passengers in the first four days of operation. 

By the end of 2020, Baidu Apollo Robotaxi fleet had offered up to 210,000 trials. The company expects the number of cities available for the Apollo Robotaxi service to grow to 30 over the next three years with more than 3,000 autonomous cars deployed.