New Regulations for Autonomous Driving in Beijing

By Qiaoyi Li and Brenda Goh

BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing has enacted new regulations to promote autonomous driving, aiming for the eventual introduction of driverless public buses and taxis.

The regulations, reported by the state-backed Beijing Daily, will permit autonomous vehicles that pass road tests and safety assessments to apply for road trials, effective April 1.

The city encourages the use of autonomous vehicles across various modes including private cars, urban buses, trams, and taxis, and aims to develop intelligent road infrastructure to support this transport innovation.

Additionally, Wuhan has approved regulations to advance intelligent connected vehicles.

China is actively facilitating trials for self-driving technologies, with at least 19 cities currently testing robotaxi and robobus services. Companies like Apollo Go (Baidu), Pony.ai, WeRide, AutoX, and SAIC Motor are leading the charge in this sector.

Apollo Go plans to roll out 1,000 robotaxis in Wuhan by the end of 2024, while Pony.ai intends to expand its fleet from 250 to over 1,000 by 2026.

U.S. EV leader Tesla is also set to introduce its full self-driving features in China by Q1 2025, with plans to produce its own robotaxi by 2026.