Chinese AV developer WeRide has partnered with transportation firms Baiyun Taxi and SCI (Guangzhou) Group to launch autonomous ride-hailing service WeRide RoboTaxi.
The launch marks the culmination of WeRide’s efforts to form strategic partnerships between AI developers, vehicle manufacturers and mobility service platforms. The group has been collaborating on retrofitting vehicles, algorithm optimization, fleet operation, 5G network applications and more. WeRide had previously collaborated with Baiyun Taxi to trial one of the first Level 4 self-driving taxis in China in November 2018.
Zhicheng Deng, chairman of Baiyun Taxi Group, said, “Baiyun Taxi is committed to promoting the development of public transportation in smart cities. The cooperation with WeRide has implanted genes of technological innovation into the traditional taxi industry. We will employ autonomous driving technologies to stay ahead of the competition and continue to play an important role in the public transport sector in the future of smart cities.”
Tony Han, CEO and co-founder of WeRide, said, “We will join hands with more partners throughout the mobility industry to explore more possibilities of autonomous driving in a much wider range. We are always committed to creating safer, more economical, convenient and comfortable mobility with our autonomous driving technology.”