On August 1, Shanghai welcomed its first driverless taxi service, Pony.ai Robotaxi, which was officially put into operation. It is understood that the starting price of Pony.ai’s unmanned taxis is 14 yuan, which can cover a 3-kilometer journey. The excess is charged at 2.7 yuan per kilometer. The overall pricing is basically the same as that of traditional taxis. The operation hours are from 7:30 to 21:30 every Monday to Friday. The initial operation scope focuses on Pudong New Area, with Jinqiao and Huamu areas as the core, covering Shenjiang Road, Jinxiu East Road, Heisong Road, Yanggao Road and other major road sections.
Pony.ai said that as the operation gradually matures, it will be expanded to open test roads in Pudong as planned to provide smart travel services to citizens in more areas.
At the same time, citizens are reminded that due to the limited number of vehicles invested in the initial operation, long waiting times may occur during peak hours or popular areas. The company will pay close attention to user demand feedback, gradually increase the number of vehicles launched, and continue to optimize the service experience.
It is reported that Pony.ai Robotaxi’s autonomous driving system already has the ability to predict the situation similar to that of an “experienced driver”, which can significantly improve travel safety and efficiency. For example, the system can not only accurately identify pedestrians ahead, but also predict their intentions to cross the road and respond in advance by slowing down or giving way to minimize potential risks.
The official operation of Pony.ai Robotaxi is due to the new batch of intelligent connected vehicle demonstration operation certificates it obtained at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Eight companies, including Pony Easy Technology, Baidu Zhixing Technology, Saike Intelligent Technology, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Taxi, and Shanghai Youdao Zhitu Technology, have become the first companies in Shanghai to be approved to carry out "driverless and unmanned" operations.
Different from previous pilots with "manned driver", this operation license covers the two major business types of smart rental and smart freight, allowing companies to operate "unmanned driver" vehicles in the pilot area. Han Dadong, a second-level inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Economic and Information Technology Commission and director of the Automotive Industry Department, revealed at the conference that Shanghai will expand the open areas for autonomous driving in an orderly manner, "realize the full opening of Pudong New Area, simultaneously promote the opening of Fengxian, Minhang and other areas, and connect the open roads of the city's four major test areas."