Pony.ai, a China- and US-based self-driving vehicle technology company, has received a license to operate driverless robotaxi services commercially in Shenzhen's Bao'an District (i.e., without a safety driver onboard), marking a first in China's major urban areas.

The company is working with logistics company GAC Group's ride-hailing platform, OnTime, having jointly obtained the commercial pilot license.

Since its launch in Shenzhen in 2022, Pony.ai's autonomous ride-hailing service has seen an average of 200 daily bookings. Its service spans nearly 500 pick-up and drop-off locations and can be accessed via the PonyPilot+ app. The company has logged over 18 million miles in autonomous road tests, which include 1.6 million m with safety operators and 372,000 m in fully driverless mode.

Analyst QuickTake: Pony.ai first received permission to commence testing of fully driverless robotaxis on public roads in Shenzhen in May 2023. Today’s commercial deployment permit now adds Shenzhen to Pony.ai's expanding portfolio of Chinese cities, including Beijing and Guangzhou, where the company has initiated commercial driverless robotaxi services.