Beijing set to support for autonomous vehicles in urban transport services

The Beijing municipal government announced plans to support the use of autonomous vehicles for urban public electric bus transportation, ride-hailing services and car rentals recently, which signifies that driverless vehicles in the capital are set to get legislative backing for their deployment on roads.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology has released a draft for public feedback on autonomous vehicle regulations. The city aims to address key issues faced by autonomous vehicle innovation activities in specific areas through legislation.

"While upholding safety as a top priority, the regulations aim to provide clear, transparent and predictable institutional norms for market entities operating Level 3 and above autonomous vehicles," said the bureau.

In September 2020, Beijing took the lead in planning and constructing the country's first high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone.

Now, residents of Beijing can already use an app to summon autonomous "taxi" services within the demonstration zone. Additionally, driverless minibusses have been deployed around the three major cultural buildings in the city's sub-center.

Autonomous retail, patrol and cleaning vehicles are already on the roads, showcasing the city's advancements in autonomous technology.