Autonomous driving startup AutoX announced on Thursday that it now runs a fleet of 25 driverless robotaxis in the southern city Shenzhen, becoming the first company to offer autonomous taxi services without safety drivers behind the wheel.
Unmanned cars haven’t been available for public use so far.
In August, Alibaba-backed AutoX opened a robotaxi ride-hailing service with safety drivers in Shanghai. It now operates more than 100 robotaxis in the two cities combined, said the company in a media release.
Previously, rival WeRide, which runs robotaxis in a city near Shenzhen, promised in an interview with KrASIA to be the first to roll out a truly driverless robotaxi service without safety operators.
Read this: Self-driving technology accessible to everyone is AutoX’s goal: Inside China’s Startups
This article is part of KrASIA’s “Key Stat” series, where KrASIA picks and presents the most significant figures of the day’s technology and business world.