Baidu Becomes First In China That Provides Driverless Airport Rides

Baidu announced the expansion of Apollo Go, its autonomous ride-hailing platform, to cover Wuhan Tianhe International Airport with its driverless car service. This is the first instance in China of an autonomous ride-hailing service connecting urban areas and an airport, as well as the first instance of Chinese autonomous vehicles connecting both urban roads and highways.
The service is currently available by invitation only to Apollo Go users and will be made available to the general public in September, kRASIA reported.

Apollo Go's presence in Wuhan will continue to grow after the airport area was added to its coverage, and it has future plans to offer services in the city's Jingkai District, Hanyang District, East and West Lake District, Qiaokou District, and other important Jiangbei neighbourhoods.

As of June 30, 2023, Apollo Go, a top supplier of autonomous ride-hailing services, had received over 3.3 million orders overall. Apollo Go offered 714,000 rides in the second quarter of this year alone, a 149% YoY increase. 

Today, Baidu and Apollo Go are promoting the use of fully autonomous vehicles on a large scale. Currently operating in five cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, and Wuhan, is Baidu's fleet of fully autonomous robotaxis. It is the first company to carry out fully commercial autonomous driving operations and testing in numerous cities across the nation.