Pony.ai, the Toyota-backed Chinese startup, on April 17 became the first self-driving company to obtain a taxi license in China. It had already won the right to charge a fee for operating a commercial robotaxis service in Beijing in late 2021.
100 autonomous vehicles on the streets of Guangzhou
100 autonomous vehicles from Pony.ai will circulate in Nansha, a district of the city of Guangzhou. From May, the company’s robotaxis will undertake races in the 800 km2 that Nansha covers. These will be operational day and night, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The price of the rides will align with the fares of traditional taxis operating in Guangzhou.
Can antitrust block Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter?
” Being the first autonomous vehicle company to receive a taxi license in China is proof of the strength of Pony.ai’s technology and ability to operate robotaxis services. said James Peng, CEO and co-founder of the startup, in a press release.
Field tests
Before putting its autonomous taxis into service and obtaining its license, Pony.ai had to pass numerous qualification tests to ensure the safety of its vehicles. The company must have practiced tests on its autonomous cars for at least 24 months, have 1 million kilometers traveled including at least 200,000 in the Guangzhou test area and not be responsible for road accidents.
” The inclusion of autonomous vehicles in the unified and standardized taxi management proves that government policy and the public are increasingly accepting robotaxis as a means of daily transport » Explain Tiancheng Lou, co-founder and CTO of Pony.ai.
The startup is currently testing its autonomous vehicles in 3 other major Chinese cities as well as in California.
Pony.ai knows how to satisfy its customers
The feedback from the first users is very positive. In mid-April, Pony.ai’s robotaxis service recorded over 700,000 rides with 80% regular users. The company has collected 99% positive opinions from passengers after their trips with a satisfaction rate of 4.9 out of 5 points.
“ We will expand our services and provide quality travel experiences for people in Guangzhou. We will create an industry benchmark for robotaxis services and continue to lead the commercialization of robotaxis and robotrucks adds James Peng.
Valued at nearly 8 billion euros last March, Pony.ai intends to separate from the drivers, present in all its vehicles as a security measure, in the medium term. The startup has planned mass marketing of its autonomous taxis for 2024/2025.