Pony.ai, a China- and US-based self-driving vehicle technology company, has received permission to commence testing of fully driverless robotaxis on public roads in Shenzhen, China (i.e. without a safety driver onboard). This is reportedly the first company to have obtained permission to operate driverless autonomous vehicles in Shenzhen.

The company also noted that it has so far accumulated more than 0.6 million miles of driverless testing and nearly 200,000 fee-charging robotaxi orders, to date.

Analyst QuickTake: Today’s news comes on the heels of Pony.ai receiving permission to operate driverless robotaxi services publicly in Guangzhou, another city in China. The company also operates fully driverless robotaxi services in Beijing, China, upon receiving the permit earlier this year. These back-to-back expansions of driverless operations showcase Pony.ai's significant capability to swiftly introduce self-driving technology in various cities.