Baidu received approval to cost fares for its robotaxi rides within the Beijing suburb of Yizhuang in November 2021.
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BEIJING — Chinese tech firm Baidu stated its robotaxi business in massive cities is near gaining the identical traction with locals as conventional ride-hailing companies.
During the third quarter, every of Baidu’s self-driving taxis accomplished a mean of greater than 15 rides a day in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, CEO Robin Li stated Tuesday, in keeping with a FactSet transcript of the earnings name.
“According to our knowledge, this number is quite close to the average daily rides for traditional ride-hailing services,” Li stated. He didn’t share what number of automobiles have been in every native fleet.
For comparability, journeys per energetic car on ride-hailing apps in New York City averaged about 12 a day in September, in keeping with the newest accessible municipal information.
In Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Baidu’s robotaxis — branded Apollo Go — can solely function in sure suburban areas.
The firm didn’t say whether or not it might cost fares for its robotaxi rides in Guangzhou or Shanghai.
About 12 months in the past, Baidu gained Beijing metropolis’s approval to start out charging fares for robotaxi rides within the district of Yizhuang, about half an hour’s drive from the middle of the capital metropolis.
Those rides nonetheless require a human workers member to sit down within the automotive.
However, this week Baidu stated it obtained approval from native Beijing authorities to check 10 robotaxis with none human workers within the entrance row.
Pony.ai, a start-up that additionally operates a robotaxi business, stated it obtained related approval.
Both corporations’ robotaxi rides in Beijing’s Yizhuang district stay closely sponsored. A CNBC examine of each Apollo Go and Pony.ai apps Wednesday discovered a reduction of greater than 80% was utilized.
Baidu has robotaxi operations in lots of cities in China, and might cost for fares in at the least seven, in keeping with the corporate.
Total robotaxi journeys within the third quarter climbed by greater than 300% from a yr in the past to greater than 474,000 rides, the corporate stated Tuesday.
When requested through the earnings name when Apollo Go would break even, the corporate stated it believed the robotaxi will ultimately be worthwhile and cheaper than present ride-hailing companies, and that the affect of to Baidu’s total revenue and loss and money movement is “manageable.”