DeepRoute.ai launched robotaxi services in Shenzhen on Monday, allowing users to reserve a ride through a WeChat mini program free of charge. The robotaxis currently operate across more than 200 kilometers in Shenzhen’s downtown business district of Futian, covering 100 pickup and dropoff locations.
To tie in with the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary, DeepRoute.ai teamed up with the Shenzhen government to provide robotaxi services for users traveling to and from historical sites in Futian, like the Shenzhen Revolutionary Martyrs Monument and the Shenzhen Reform and Opening Hall. DeepRoute.ai’s robotaxis also chauffeured citizens to vaccination sites as part of China’s broader inoculation efforts against COVID-19.
Founded in 2019, DeepRoute.ai’s technology has developed advanced decision-making capabilities that respond to real-time road conditions, allowing its robotaxis to travel unencumbered in a range of conditions, like at night and in heavy rain. In April, the company became the first operator in Shenzhen to receive approval for robotaxi trials. So far, DeepRoute.ai has also tested its unmanned taxi services in other cities, including Wuhan and Hangzhou, covering more than 2 million km.
The company will gradually add more vehicles to its robotaxi fleet, said DeepRoute.ai’s partner and vice president Liu Xian. DeepRoute.ai currently faces stern competition from the likes of Baidu’s Apollo, Pony.ai, AutoX, and WeRide, which are all running unmanned ride-hailing services in major Chinese cities.
Read this: Here’s everything you’ll find in your fully autonomous vehicular future
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content published by 36Kr. This article was originally written by Wang Yijin for 36Kr.