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Autonomous vehicles
TechPolicy

China steps up autonomous driving development with new guidelines on operating driverless vehicles for public transport

  • The country’s Ministry of Transport published the draft guidelines on Monday and is soliciting public opinion through September 7
  • Autonomous buses will be allowed to operate in closed routes, while self-driving taxis would run on roads with controlled traffic conditions

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A car equipped with an autonomous driving system developed by tech start-up DeepRoute.ai runs on a street in Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province, on July 27, 2022. Photo: Reuters
Iris Deng
China has drafted new guidelines for the commercial use of fully autonomous vehicles in public transport, helping pave the way for the development and deployment of new fleets of self-driving taxis, buses and trucks nationwide.
The country’s Ministry of Transport, which published the draft guidelines on Monday, said in a statement that the rules would enable the country “to adapt to the development of autonomous driving technologies and encourage the regulated application of self-driving vehicles for transport services, while ensuring safety”. Transport authorities are soliciting public opinion on the draft rules through September 7.

Under the draft guidelines, autonomous buses will be allowed to operate in closed routes, while self-driving taxis would run on roads with light and controlled traffic conditions. Driverless transport of goods will be allowed in certain areas, but these vehicles will be prohibited from carrying hazardous items such as explosives.

Operators of autonomous public transport services will also be required to provide third-party liability insurance of more than 5 million yuan (US$740,000), as well as insurance covering work safety and compulsory automobile liabilities.

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Automated taxis now allowed on the road in Shenzhen

Automated taxis now allowed on the road in Shenzhen

Safety would be the top priority in the management of autonomous vehicles, according to the transport ministry. Its draft rules require a human driver inside vehicles classified as conditional and highly autonomous, while a remote driver or safety operator is needed for fully autonomous vehicles.

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