Shanghai has officially launched its first fleet of fully driverless robotaxis, with the fare starting from 14 yuan (US$1.94) for the first 3 kilometers.

The city issued its first batch of eight pilot licenses for autonomous vehicles on July 26 at the just-concluded World Artificial Intelligence Conference. This allowed eight companies – including Pony.ai, Baidu's Apollo Go, SAIC Motor, and Qiangsheng Taxi – to operate cars with no safety driver in the front seat.

"Shanghai plans to expand its driverless zones citywide, starting with full coverage in Pudong and later adding districts like Fengxian and Minhang," said Han Dadong, an official with the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization.

The licenses cover both robotaxis and autonomous freight.

Pony.ai, one of the first approved operators, has teamed up with Jinjiang Taxi to launch its service in Pudong's Jinqiao and Huamu areas from 7:30am to 9:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Passengers can hail a robotaxi through the Pony.ai app or its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs for a ride within the two areas.

"In Jinqiao, every car is fully driverless," Dai Dunfeng, a spokesperson for Pony.ai, told Shanghai TV. "It's just like hailing a regular taxi – except that no driver shows up."

The TV's video showed that passengers can only sit in the back row and cannot get control over the steering wheel, with a partition between the front and rear seats of the car.

Although it was rainy and windy, the taxi performed well in the video. It even recognized a construction site and made a U-turn, and when the rain got heavier, it slowed down.

According to Pony.ai, the taxi is equipped with 7 cameras, 4 lidars, and a number of millimeter-wave radars, which form a powerful sensory system capable of detecting movement trajectories of 500 pedestrians at busy road intersections, ensuring safe navigation.

The company said it will gradually expand the service to most areas in Pudong.

Meanwhile, Baidu's Apollo Go, which already operates in suburban Jiading District, has rolled out similar services in 11 cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Under the rules, only companies with trained and certified safety supervisors can get the new licenses for fully driverless taxis.