Guangzhou Huangpu District Science City opens the first self-driving convenient bus line by WeRide's Mini Robobus

On February 21st, 2023, the first autonomous driving bus line in the Science City, jointly created by Huangpu District of Guangzhou City, Guangzhou Development Zone Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Guangzhou Development Zone Transportation Investment Group), WeRide and other units, was officially opened. Representatives from the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau of Huangpu District in Guangzhou (Construction and Transportation Bureau of Guangzhou Development Zone) and relevant units attended the opening ceremony.

The "New Infrastructure" project for intelligent transportation systems aimed at autonomous driving and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication is one of the most extensive and versatile intelligent transportation projects in China's intelligent connected vehicle industry. The launch of the autonomous driving convenience bus line represents an innovative attempt to integrate convenient transportation with intelligent transportation. The intelligent experience of human-machine interaction and vehicle-road coordination will provide passengers with a new mode of travel.

Line 1 of the autonomous driving convenience bus uses a dual-motor control architecture and a fully autonomous driving design without a steering wheel or driver's cab. With a top speed of 40 kilometers per hour and full support for V2X communication, it can operate 24/7 in urban open roads at Level 4 autonomous driving. This Chinese passenger vehicle model is the only one to have received the "Red Dot Award," and it is the world's first self-driving bus to have received the World Industrial Design Award.

In terms of innovation and application of intelligent connected vehicles, the Huangpu District and Guangzhou Development Zone have always been at the forefront of China's autonomous driving industry development. With the support of the Huangpu District and Guangzhou Development Zone governments at the end of 2019, WeRide successfully launched the country's first autonomous driving taxi fleet in a first-tier city, and officially began operations in a 144.65 square kilometer area covering the core areas of Huangpu District and Guangzhou Development Zone's open urban roads, marking the commercial application of China's autonomous driving technology.

According to the head of the Guangzhou Development Zone Public Transport Station Company, a subsidiary of the Guangzhou Development Zone Transportation and Investment Group, five autonomous driving convenience buses will be put into service in the science city area for the first phase, with WeRide responsible for daily operations. Additional routes will be opened depending on the situation, focusing on subway, industrial park, and residential areas.

The launch of the Huangpu District's autonomous driving micro-circulation bus service will further accelerate the development of Huangpu District's intelligent transportation and promote the application and popularization of autonomous driving technology for intelligent connected vehicles. Through the cooperation of the Guangzhou Development Zone Transportation and Investment Group and WeRide, more citizens will be able to enjoy a better, safer, and cleaner future of travel.