Turning heads as they pass office buildings and shopping malls, driverless taxis are slowly spreading across Chinese cities, causing both wariness and wonder.
China’s tech companies and automakers have poured billions of dollars into self-driving technology in recent years in a bid to catch up with industry leaders in the United States.
Now, the central city of Wuhan boasts one of the largest networks of self-driving cars in the world, home to a fleet of more than 500 taxis that can be hailed in an app just like regular rides.
At an intersection in an industrial area of Wuhan, AFP reporters saw at least five robot taxis pass each other as they navigated regular traffic.
“It looks kind of magical, like a science fiction movie,” a local surnamed Yang told AFP.
But not everyone shares Yang’s awe.
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The safety debate was sparked in April when a Huawei-backed Aito car was involved in a fatal accident, with the company saying its automatic braking system failed.
A minor collision between a jaywalker and a Wuhan robotaxi last month has reignited concerns.
Taxi drivers and workers at traditional transportation companies have also raised fears that they will be replaced by artificial intelligence — although the technology is far from fully developed.
Five to 500
Wuhan’s driverless cabs are part of tech giant Baidu’s Apollo Go project, which first received permits to operate in the city in 2022.
Initially, only five robocars carried passengers in about 13 square kilometers (five square miles) of the city of about 14 million.
Baidu says taxis now operate in a 3,000 square kilometer section — more than a third of Wuhan’s total area, including a small part of the city center.
By comparison, US leader Waymo says the largest area it covers is 816 square kilometers, in Arizona.
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When a car arrives at its pickup point, riders scan a QR code with their phones to unlock the vehicle — with the front seats closed for safety.
Fares are currently heavily discounted, with a thirty-minute ride from AFP costing just 39 yuan ($5.43) compared to 64 yuan in a regular taxi.
“They steal our rice bowls, so of course we don’t like them,” Wuhan taxi driver Deng Haiping told AFP, using a popular Chinese term for a living.
Deng said he fears robotaxi companies will push away traditional drivers with subsidized fares, before raising prices once they gain dominance — similar to the strategy used by ride-hailing apps in the 2010s.
“At present, the impact is not very big because robotic machines are not fully widespread and cannot yet drive everywhere,” Deng said.
“It’s just not ready”
The robotaxi fleet is a small fraction of the tens of thousands of taxis and passenger cars in Wuhan.
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More and more Chinese cities are implementing policies to promote self-driving services, however, part of a national push for technological excellence.
Baidu and domestic rival Pony.ai have been testing models with varying levels of autonomy in industrial parks around the country for years.
Shanghai issued its first batch of temporary licenses for fully driverless cars last month, and the capital Beijing has approved fully autonomous robotoxins in suburban areas.
The southwestern city of Chongqing and the southern technology hub of Shenzhen also have pilot projects underway.
In terms of technology, there is still a long way to go before self-driving taxis become ubiquitous, however, according to Tom Nunlist, technology policy analyst at Trivium China.
“Everyone seems to think that autonomous driving is inevitable at this point, and frankly, I don’t know that it is,” he told AFP.
“Fully autonomous driving technology is currently simply not ready for large-scale deployment,” he said.
Even in Wuhan’s Apollo Go taxis — which can spot obstacles and wait meticulously at intersections — the ultimate responsibility for safety still rests with officers monitoring routes remotely.
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During a ride in an Apollo Go car, someone operated the car’s built-in touchscreen to remind AFP journalists to wear their seat belts.
“Security personnel provide strong reassurances about your route through 5G remote assistance technology,” the Apollo Go app tells users.
Robotaxis is far from replicating human touch.
“Some customers have disabilities and (self-driving cars) definitely couldn’t help them, and some passengers are carrying large items,” driver Zhao told AFP.
“Only one person can help.”
Source: AFP