DiDi Autonomous Driving Begins 24/7 Fully Driverless Pilot Service in Guangzhou
On December 1, DiDi Autonomous Driving announced the launch of a 24/7, fully driverless pilot service in designated areas of Guangzhou, following its autonomous driving services during the 15th National Games. Starting today, riders placing orders via the DiDi App will have the opportunity to experience a fully driverless autonomous ride service.
As a close partner of Guangzhou, DiDi Autonomous Driving is actively participating in the city’s smart-city initiative and supporting its development. During the 15th National Games this year, DiDi Autonomous Driving served as the official autonomous driving service provider, offering shuttle services in key areas around major sports venues in Guangzhou. The launch of this around-the-clock, fully driverless pilot service marks a new stage in DiDi Autonomous Driving’s service capabilities.
The pilot area is located in the center of Huangpu, with stops covering key travel scenarios such as metro stations, schools, shopping malls, office buildings and residential communities. The service operates 24 hours a day, Monday through Sunday. Rider can request a fully driverless vehicle via the autonomous driving section in the DiDi App, or they can enter pickup and drop-off locations and select both Autonomous Driving and Ride-Hailing to place a mixed order. The system will match a vehicle considering factors such as pickup and drop-off locations, road and traffic conditions, dispatch distance, and vehicle supply and demand in the surrounding area.
If a fully driverless vehicle is dispatched, passengers can unlock the doors from the App order page; the doors can also unlock automatically as the passengers approach the vehicle. During the trip, passengers can update their destination or end the ride at a nearby safe location. If assistance is needed, passengers can contact remote customer support via the in-vehicle screen. During the pilot, DiDi Autonomous Driving will continue to collect rider feedback and optimize the service experience.
Since receiving its license for remote (unmanned) road testing of intelligent connected vehicles in November 2022, DiDi Autonomous Driving has focused on complex urban mobility scenarios and continuously enhanced the performance of its driverless system. After more than a year of fully driverless internal testing and public testing, DiDi’s autonomous driving technology has demonstrated stable and reliable performance in a wide range of complex conditions, including heavy traffic during morning and evening rush hours, strong backlighting at dusk, low-light environments late at night, and rainy weather.
Looking ahead, DiDi Autonomous Driving remains firmly committed to responsible technology innovation. The company is dedicated to improving its technology and services based on rider needs, advancing autonomous driving in an orderly manner, and delivering a safe, intelligent travel experience to the public.