WeRide permitted for remote-monitored unmanned Robotaxi pilot service in Beijing

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On June 30, 2023, Chinese autonomous driving solution provider WeRide, officially obtained the license for fully-unmanned remote-monitor autonomous driving demonstration application in the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD).

WeRide Robotaxi in BJHAD; photo credit: WeRide

This milestone enables WeRide's autonomous Robotaxis to conduct entirely unmanned demonstration operations in the capital city of China.

In October last year, the BJHAD opened phased road tests for unmanned self-driving vehicles for the first time, and clearly divided the unmanned tests into three stages, namely with a driver in the passenger seat, with an empty front row (back row still has safety operators), and the final remote monitor from outside the vehicle.

Just eight months after receiving the permit for first-phase road testing in the BJHAD, WeRide swiftly progressed to the stage of purely unmanned demonstration operations with remote monitoring. This achievement establishes WeRide as a frontrunner in the domestic autonomous driving industry.

Under the license, WeRide is authorized to provide fully unmanned Robotaxi services within the core area of 225 square kilometers in the demonstration zone. Once officially launched, citizens can use the WeRide Go app to summon a true unmanned Robotaxi and reach destinations such as designated subway stations, core business districts, and large office parks.

Since its establishment in 2017, WeRide has expanded its autonomous driving research, testing, and operations in over 26 cities worldwide, accumulating a remarkable autonomous driving distance of more than 20 million kilometers.