- Baidu has launched driverless airport transportation services
in Wuhan, becoming China's first-ever provider of autonomous
rides to and from airports.
- As the world's largest autonomous driving ride-hailing service
provider, Baidu stands as the sole company in China currently offering autonomous
ride-hailing services that seamlessly connect both urban roads and
highways.
BEIJING, Aug. 25,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and
HKEX: 9888) ("Baidu" or the "Company"), a leading AI company with
strong internet foundation, today announced the expansion of Apollo
Go, its autonomous ride-hailing platform, to expand its driverless
car service to cover Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. This marks
the first time in China that an
autonomous ride-hailing service has been established between urban
areas and an airport, as well as the first instance of Chinese
autonomous vehicles connecting both urban roads and highways. The
service is currently offered to selected Apollo Go users by
invitation, and will be made available to the general public in
September.
The expansion of Apollo Go's operation area to Wuhan Tianhe
Airport is a significant step towards pioneering driverless airport
transportation in China. It also
means Baidu has now unlocked more challenging operation scenarios
for its robotaxi fleet, making autonomous ride hailing service more
accessible to the public.
The significant number of passengers traveling through
Wuhan's Tianhe Airport provides a
strong foundation for the further growth of Baidu Apollo. Located
25 kilometers from the center of Wuhan, Tianhe Airport is one of China's eight major regional hub airports.
This year, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport has transported a
total of 125,000 international regional passengers, placing it
first in the central China region.
The airport's daily flight limit has increased from 700 to
approximately 1000 flights, making it the leader in flight
scheduling capacity in the central China region and one of the top airports
nationwide.
Following the expansion to cover the airport area, Apollo Go
will continue to expand its presence in Wuhan, with plans to bring its services to the
city's Jingkai District, Hanyang District, East and West Lake
District, Qiaokou District, and other core areas of the Jiangbei
area in the future.
As a leading autonomous ride-hailing service provider, Apollo Go
has recorded over 3.3 million cumulative orders as of June 30, 2023. In the second quarter of this year
alone, Apollo Go provided 714,000 rides, a 149% YoY increase.
Today, Baidu and Apollo Go are advocating for the widespread
application of fully autonomous vehicles. Baidu's fully driverless
robotaxi fleet is now operating in five cities, including
Beijing, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. It is the first company to conduct
completely fully autonomous driving commercial operations and
testing in multiple cities throughout the country.
About Baidu
Founded in 2000, Baidu's mission is to make the complicated
world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company
with strong Internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under "BIDU"
and HKEX under "9888." One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A
ordinary shares.
Media Contact
Intlcomm@baidu.com
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SOURCE Baidu, Inc.