Baidu is first in China to offer driverless airport rides

BEIJING: Baidu Inc's autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go will expand its driverless car service to cover Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.

The service is currently offered to selected Apollo Go users by invitation, and will be made available to the general public in September.

In a statement, Baidu said this marks the first time in China that an autonomous ride-hailing service has been established between urban areas and an airport, as well as the first instance of Chinese autonomous vehicles connecting both urban roads and highways.

It also means Baidu has now unlocked more challenging operation scenarios for its robotaxi fleet, making autonomous ride hailing service more accessible to the public.

Apollo Go will continue to expand its presence in Wuhan, with plans to bring its services to the city's Jingkai District, Hanyang District, East and West Lake District, Qiaokou District, and other core areas of the Jiangbei area in the future.

As a leading autonomous ride-hailing service provider, Apollo Go has recorded over 3.3 million cumulative orders as of June 30, 2023.

In the second quarter of 2023, Apollo Go provided 714,000 rides, a 149% year-on-year increase.

Baidu's fully driverless robotaxi fleet is now operating in five cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, and Wuhan.

It is the first company to conduct completely fully autonomous driving commercial operations and testing in multiple cities throughout the country.

Located 25km from the center of Wuhan, Tianhe Airport is one of China's eight major regional hub airports.

This year, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport has transported a total of 125,000 international regional passengers, placing it first in the central China region.

The airport's daily flight limit has increased from 700 to 1,000 flights, making it one of the top airports nationwide.