Pony.ai greenlighted for paid Robotaxi service in Guangzhou

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On April 24th, Pony.ai announced that the company has become the first autonomous driving company to secure a government-approved taxi transport service permit in China as it won the bid in Guangzhou, Nansha district. 

Photo credit: Pony.ai

Getting the permit means that autonomous vehicles are officially included in the category of vehicle transportation operation and management under the national unified taxi standardized management. This marks a major breakthrough in the autonomous driving commercialization progress. Now, Pony.ai is permitted to conduct paid Robotaxi service in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Starting May, Pony.ai’s autonomous driving fleet of 100 vehicles will initiate paid Robotaxi services in all 800 square kilometers of area in Nansha district. Passengers can hail and pay for a ride through the PonyPilot+ mobile application, during its business hours from 8:30 to 22:30. The rates are in line with the unified price setting of taxis in Guangzhou. 

Pony.ai plans to branch out to cover more areas in Guangzhou as the business grows larger. Furthermore, the company disclosed that it will launch its Robotaxi service in other first-tier cities in China by 2023, and gradually reach more regions by 2025.