We’re officially living in the future, depicted by science fiction writers half a century earlier.
The Chinese tech giant, Baidu, rolled out China’s first completely autonomous paid consumer vehicles this weekend. The cab, which verifies passenger’s identities, will not start driving until all passengers are buckled in. 10 Apollo taxis are in commission in a route that covers a 1.2 mile radius of Shougang Park in Beijing, which will be developed into the future site of the 2022 Olympics.
This weekend, the company transitioned from a safety member in the driver’s seat to the front passenger’s seat in case of emergency. Though the area doesn’t have heavy traffic, it is trafficked by many visitors on foot which requires the Apollo fleet to brake and swerve to avoid hitting pedestrians.
In the last year, the autonomous taxi service has been operating in three cities and plans to expand to 30 within the next three years.
Meanwhile the American market is more skeptical of autonomous passenger vehicles after a widely-publicized 2018 crash resulting in a fatality in Tempe, Arizona. However, many tech companies, such as Elon Musk’s Tesla, are exploring autonomous commercial vehicles which are generally more accepted.
