Beijing starts city-airport autonomous shuttle testing with Baidu’s Apollo Go Robotaxi

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Recently, the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD) Office announced the commencement of autonomous vehicle testing on three routes connecting Beijing’s inner-city region to Beijing Daxing International Airport. 

Photo credit: Baidu

This development marks Beijing as the world's first capital city to launch autonomous shuttle testing for urban-to-airport routes.

In 2023, Beijing Municipal Government listed expanding the BJHAD as a key task. The plan involves extending the existing 225-square-kilometer zone and gradually completing the expansion to cover 500 square kilometers throughout the city. 

Beijing Daxing International Airport, a major international hub, experienced a daily average passenger flow of 127,000 during the peak summer travel season, making it one of the country's busiest airports. The initiation of autonomous vehicle road testing at Daxing Airport is a significant step towards realizing the commercialization of autonomous logistics applications along the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei corridor and a new milestone for the capital's transportation network.

Baidu's Apollo Go Robotaxi service platform was among the first service providers to receive approval and promptly initiated autonomous Robotaxi testing within the airport's open road areas. This expansion of Apollo Go's autonomous driving scenarios paves the way for seamless autonomous travel from urban roads to airport routes, offering passengers the convenience of direct airport access via autonomous vehicles.

As the world's largest autonomous driving service provider, Baidu's Apollo Go had processed over 3.3 million orders as of June 30, 2023. In the second quarter of 2023 alone, Apollo Go provided 714,000 ride services, marking a 149% year-on-year increase.