Shenzhen to put autonomous buses on roads as China accelerates self-driving vehicle tests

China's southern tech hub of Shenzhen plans to put a fleet of 20 driverless buses on the road this year, according to the local bus operator, amid the country's push for a wider roll-out and commercialisation of autonomous driving technology despite regulatory, security and social concerns.

The self-driving buses will operate along four bus routes in Shenzhen's Qianhai district, an economic zone neighbouring Hong Kong, where stops include subway stations, commercial and business districts, industrial parks, residential areas and tourism sites, according to an announcement by Shenzhen Bus Group, the state-owned public transport firm.

With government approval for a trial run already granted, the company said it aims to create "the largest fleet of autonomous driving buses in the downtown area of a first-tier city".

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Shenzhen Bus Group will start operating the first bus route as early as this month, charging a fare of 1 yuan (US$0.14) per ride during the trial period, the state-backed Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported on Tuesday.

Rather than using a fleet of its all-electric single-decker buses, the autonomous vehicles will be nine-seat minibuses equipped with high-definition cameras, sensors and lidar, according to the Shenzhen Bus Group announcement.

Shenzhen has been making a big push to become China's autonomous vehicle hub. It joins other cities such as Guangzhou and Wuhan in being among the first to allow self-driving buses.

Shenzhen rolled out the country's first dedicated regulations for intelligent connected cars in 2022, allowing registered autonomous vehicles - without the typically required safety driver - to travel on certain roads and in other areas designated by local transport authorities.

Last September, Shenzhen also allowed self-driving cars to run on 89 kilometres of highway, including 13km of "highly complex sections", for testing.

Robotaxi services have already become commonplace in Shenzhen's Nanshan and Pingshan districts, where rides in these vehicles are heavily discounted or free. Robotaxis operated by Baidu's Apollo Go service can be easily hailed by commuters in these areas via a mobile app.

The city is also the first to allow fully autonomous cars to operate across an entire district, according to the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily report. In Pingshan, licensed operators including Baidu have deployed fleets of robotaxis without safety drivers.

Shenzhen, with a population of 17 million people, has pledged to grow its intelligent vehicle industry to 200 billion yuan in revenue by 2025, according to an action plan released by its municipal government in June 2023.

However, the roll-out of autonomous driving technology is drawing scepticism in some circles amid concerns about safety and job losses.

A fleet of more than 500 Apollo Go robotaxis in Wuhan, capital of central Hubei province, has become so popular in the city of 13.7 million that local taxi drivers are petitioning the municipal transport authority to limit the use of Baidu's service.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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