Baidu Apollo's robotaxi service became available in Guangzhou on July 17, making it the fourth city to support the service after Beijing, Changsha and Cangzhou.

The service is set up in Guangzhou Science City and travels routes that include schools, hospitals, parks, hotels, and offices, with operating hours lasting from 9:30 to 23:00.

Guangzhou residents can reserve robotaxi through Baidu Maps and Apollo GO, and there are 237 stops where they can get on and off.

In about 15 minutes of experience, the robotaxi can drive steadily when encountering intersections and traffic jams, and the riding experience is not much different from that of ordinary cabs, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.

By the end of 2020, Apollo had provided trips to more than 210,000 people, and the brand says it aims to expand the service to 30 cities in three years with more than 3,000 robotaxi deployed, according to a press release sent to CnEVPost.

Apollo's robotaxi previously kicked off a commercial trial at Beijing's Shougang Park in May, hosting 1,500 passengers in four days.

In February, Guangzhou Huangpu District Government and Apollo partnered to launch MaaS, an autonomous driving platform that includes five self-driving models.

Baidu Apollo first to get permit for phase II self-driving road testing in Beijing

(Photo source: Baidu)