Apollo Go Robotaxi, Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing platform, has been gaining public attention as it is winning new business in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, while market analysts even predicted that it could pave the way for the commercial services.
"Taking a robotaxi is indeed cheaper than a traditional one. The interior of the vehicle is clean and smart, allowing passengers to choose their preferred music. Additionally, with no driver in the car, I can avoid interactions and contact, making it easier to rest," a local rider in Wuhan told the Global Times on Wednesday.
In Wuhan, a 10-kilometer ride in a self-driving robotaxi costs between 4 and 16 yuan ($0.60-$2.30), whereas a regular ride-hailing service costs between 18 and 30 yuan. Consumers can book fully autonomous robotaxis at any time of day through various the Baidu apps in the pilot areas.
Data from Baidu shared with the Global Times showed that there are 300 fully driverless taxis operating in Wuhan.
There are two kinds of robotaxis in Wuhan - One is fully driverless robotaxis without human supervision, and the other is taxis with human drivers as the safety operators behind the wheel.
In the first quarter of 2024, bookings for fully driverless taxis in Wuhan accounted for 55 percent of all ride-hailing services.
