Baidu claims that its robotaxis can compete with traditional ride-hailing services in parts of China.

November 28, 2022 By Aaem Joshi

(Image Credit Google)

Baidu, a Chinese technology company, said its robotaxi business in major cities is on track to gain the same popularity with locals as conventional ride-hailing services. Based on a FactSet transcript of the earnings call, each of Baidu's self-driving taxis finished an average of more than 15 rides per day in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou during the third quarter. "This number is very close to the average daily rides for typical ride-hailing services," Li explained. He didn't say how many cars each local fleet had. Baidu's robotaxis could only perform in certain Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou suburbs. The company declined to comment on whether it would be able to charge ticket prices for its robotaxi rides in Guangzhou or Shanghai. In New York City, trips per engaged vehicle on ride-hailing apps averaged about 12 per day in September. San Francisco is now able to charge Waymo's fully autonomous robotaxis

San Francisco is now able to charge Waymo's fully autonomous robotaxis

The rides still need a human driver to run the vehicle, but passengers are no longer required to sit in the front seat. Pony.ai, a start-up that also runs a robotaxi service, announced a similar approval. Both companies continue to heavily subsidize their robotaxi rides in Beijing's Yizhuang district. CNBC discovered a discount of over 80% on both the Apollo Go and Pony.ai apps on Wednesday. Total robotaxi trips increased by more than 300% year on year in the third quarter, reaching over 474,000 rides, according to Baidu. The company is unsure when Apollo Go will break even, but it believes it will finally be profitable and less expensive than current ride-hailing services. According to the company, it can begin charging for fares in at least seven cities and operate in any of them.

By Aaem Joshi

I am a Journalist who loves digging up stories that remain unheard. Strongly Believe in the knowledge of the social world.

Baidu claims that its robotaxis can compete with traditional ride-hailing services in parts of China.

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