China grants first driverless taxi permits to Baidu, Pony.ai

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese internet services company Baidu has received a permit to provide driverless ride-hailing services to the public in Beijing, one of just two companies to receive such approvals. Baidu and a rival AI driving company, Pony.ai, obtained permits allowing them to offer rides without a safety driver behind the wheel to take over in cases of an emergency. In Beijing, 10 such autonomous cars will begin offering rides to passengers within a 60-square-kilometer (23-square-mile) area in suburban Beijing. Baidu already operates an autonomous fleet of taxis in Beijing under its Apollo Go ride-hailing services, but it was required to have safety drivers behind the wheel.