Chinese rival Uber launches unmanned taxi service in Shanghai
September 2, 2019Chinese giant Didi Chuxing, a global competitor to Uber, announced the launch of an unmanned taxi in Shanghai, reports The Verge.
This technical director Didi Zhang Bo said at the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Shanghai.
The city authorities gave the company permission to test robotic vehicles on public roads.
The fleet of the first “drones” consists of 30 cars. And already starting in 2021, the company plans to expand its service outside of Shanghai.
“Didi has the potential to be the first to implement a large-scale robotici service in China. Given the difficult road conditions in the metropolis, testing will begin with a mixed model that will combine both unmanned vehicles and vehicles with the presence of a driver to control the trip,” said Zhang Bo.
To call Robotaxi, customers are encouraged to use the Didi app. All unmanned trips in the first stage will be free.
