Baidu Becomes First in China to Offer Driverless Airport Rides

Rhea-AI Summary

Baidu launches driverless airport transportation services in Wuhan, expanding its autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go. It is the first autonomous ride-hailing service in China connecting urban areas and an airport. Baidu aims to make autonomous ride-hailing more accessible to the public. Wuhan Tianhe Airport provides a strong foundation for further growth. Apollo Go has recorded over 3.3 million cumulative orders and a 149% YoY increase in rides in Q2 2023.

Positive

• Baidu expands its autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go to offer driverless airport transportation services, a significant step towards pioneering driverless airport transportation in China.
• Baidu aims to make autonomous ride-hailing more accessible to the public with its expansion to Wuhan Tianhe Airport, which has a strong passenger base and increased flight scheduling capacity.

Negative

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- Baidu has launched driverless airport transportation services in Wuhan, becoming China's first-ever provider of autonomous rides to and from airports.

- As the world's largest autonomous driving ride-hailing service provider, Baidu stands as the sole company in China currently offering autonomous ride-hailing services that seamlessly connect both urban roads and highways.

BEIJING, Aug. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) ("Baidu" or the "Company"), a leading AI company with strong internet foundation, today announced the expansion of Apollo Go, its autonomous ride-hailing platform, to expand its driverless car service to cover Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. This marks the first time in China that an autonomous ride-hailing service has been established between urban areas and an airport, as well as the first instance of Chinese autonomous vehicles connecting both urban roads and highways. The service is currently offered to selected Apollo Go users by invitation, and will be made available to the general public in September.

The expansion of Apollo Go's operation area to Wuhan Tianhe Airport is a significant step towards pioneering driverless airport transportation in China. It also means Baidu has now unlocked more challenging operation scenarios for its robotaxi fleet, making autonomous ride hailing service more accessible to the public.

The significant number of passengers traveling through Wuhan's Tianhe Airport provides a strong foundation for the further growth of Baidu Apollo. Located 25 kilometers from the center of Wuhan, Tianhe Airport is one of China's eight major regional hub airports. This year, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport has transported a total of 125,000 international regional passengers, placing it first in the central China region. The airport's daily flight limit has increased from 700 to approximately 1000 flights, making it the leader in flight scheduling capacity in the central China region and one of the top airports nationwide.

Following the expansion to cover the airport area, Apollo Go will continue to expand its presence in Wuhan, with plans to bring its services to the city's Jingkai District, Hanyang District, East and West Lake District, Qiaokou District, and other core areas of the Jiangbei area in the future.

As a leading autonomous ride-hailing service provider, Apollo Go has recorded over 3.3 million cumulative orders as of June 30, 2023. In the second quarter of this year alone, Apollo Go provided 714,000 rides, a 149% YoY increase. Today, Baidu and Apollo Go are advocating for the widespread application of fully autonomous vehicles. Baidu's fully driverless robotaxi fleet is now operating in five cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. It is the first company to conduct completely fully autonomous driving commercial operations and testing in multiple cities throughout the country.

About Baidu

Founded in 2000, Baidu's mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under "BIDU" and HKEX under "9888." One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.

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SOURCE Baidu, Inc.