Driverless Minibus Hits the Clay Courts at Roland-Garros

Paris, 26th May 2024 – Renault, premium partner of Roland-Garros, and French Tennis Federation (FTT), together with WeRide, a globally leading autonomous driving technology company, provide a L4 driverless minibus shuttle service for this Grand Slam tennis tournament held on the red clay.

This milestone highlights WeRide's global leadership in autonomous driving with its strong technological foundation, and extensive operational experience, further gaining trust and recognition in the international market. (WeRide Robobus at Roland-Garros)

The L4 driverless minibus shuttle service at Roland-Garros transports passengers from the P2 parking lot (located on the outskirts of Bois de Boulogne) to Roland-Garros Stadium. After the matches, the L4 driverless minibus departs from Roland-Garros Stadium to either Auteuil Gate Square or returns to the P2 parking lot. The entire shuttle route is approximately 5-km long and takes about 12 minutes. VIPs and media can conveniently choose nearby stops to queue for boarding. And the operation time is from May 26th to June 9th, between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM. (WeRide Robobus offering unobstructed views of the scenery along the route)

WeRide Robobus is the world's first pre-designed autonomous driving robobus that is commercially deployed in large scale. It features WeRide's full-stack, self-developed autonomous driving software and hardware system, perfectly addressing the global public transportation's demand for low-carbon and green transformation. It offers autonomous shuttle services across various scenarios, including open urban roads, airports, resorts, and popular tourist sites. To day, WeRide Robobus has a global presence of nearly 30 cities worldwide, making it WeRide's flagship product and a cornerstone of its global market expansion.

WeRide's Founder and CEO, Tony Han, stated, "We are very grateful for the strong support from our strategic investor, Renault Group. Launching the Robobus shuttle service at Roland-Garros marks the first step in our joint effort with Renault Group to promote low-carbon public transportation with autonomous driving. This is also another significant milestone in WeRide's international strategy, marking our official entry into the European market. Moving forward, we will work together with Renault to bring safe, comfortable, and green autonomous public transportation services to users in Europe." (WeRide Robobus at Roland-Garros)

The long-term goal of Renault Group and WeRide is to jointly develop a localized version of the L4 driverless minibus for the public transportation sector that meets the needs and standards of the European market. It is estimated that in the coming years, the commercial demand for driverless minibus in the European public transportation sector will reach several thousand units per year.

On May 15, Renault Group held a press conference in Paris to share its autonomous driving strategy, focusing on the public transportation sector to meet the demand for low-carbon travel in the European market.