Pony.ai, a China- and US-based self-driving vehicle technology company, has received permission to offer fully driverless robotaxi services to the public in Guangzhou, China. Reportedly, this is the first company to have obtained permission to operate driverless autonomous vehicles in Guangzhou.

Passengers can use the PonyPilot+ app to order robotaxi services to locations such as high-speed rail stations, subway stops, parks, and business and residential districts in a 310 square-mile area in Guangzhou’s Nansha District.

Today, the company also revealed that it has accumulated more than 13 million miles of autonomous driving globally, more than 0.6 million miles of driverless testing, and nearly 200,000 fee-charging robotaxi orders to date.

Its next-generation robotaxi model, equipped with its sixth-generation self-driving software and hardware systems, has also obtained test licenses in Beijing and Guangzhou. The model is currently being tested on roads with a safety driver on board to take control if needed. The company is also looking to obtain permission to commence driverless operations using its next-gen vehicles in the near future.

Analyst QuickTake: Pony.ai first launched the service in Guangzhou in 2018, and obtained a license to operate 100 robotaxis in Nansha a year ago —which was launched with a safety driver on board. Today’s permit enables the provision of driverless robotaxi rides in Guangzhou, adding the city to its list of geographies, including Beijing , where the company is permitted to offer such services.