Baidu says it has a licence to charge passengers for its robotaxi service in Chinese city
- Baidu Apollo’s robotaxi fleet in Cangzhou was rolled out last August and has so far accumulated 524,696 kilometres of test mileage
- The granting of the licence comes ahead of Baidu’s secondary listing in Hong Kong, slated for later this month, which could raise US$3.6 billion for the company

Baidu said on Monday that 35 of its robotaxis have been granted licences by the local Cangzhou government to begin commercial operations, while another 10 were given the green light to conduct road tests without a driver behind the wheel, a move that could reduce operating costs for the robotaxi fleet.
The licences will allow Baidu to explore various mechanisms for charging customers, such as “discounts, trial tickets, and voluntary payments from riders”, in a first for any autonomous driving company in China, the company said in a statement.
The granting of the licences comes ahead of Baidu’s secondary listing in Hong Kong, slated for later this month, which could raise US$3.6 billion for the company. Baidu has focused its research and development efforts on artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving-related businesses to bolster future growth amid a decline in its online marketing services revenue over the past three years.
Autonomous driving firms in China have attracted billions in investments, with multiple start-ups and tech giants competing for a share in a market expected to be worth 399 billion yuan (US$61.3 billion) by 2025.
Baidu Apollo’s robotaxi fleet in Cangzhou was rolled out last August and has so far accumulated 524,696 kilometres of test mileage. The city is one of the smallest of several Chinese locations hosting Baidu robotaxi services. Last year, Baidu had about 30 vehicles operating in designated areas of Cangzhou, with residents able to book free rides using Baidu apps.