Start-up Pony.ai says it’s the first self-driving company to get a taxi license in China

Start-up Pony.ai says it’s the first self-driving company to get a taxi license in China


Autonomous driving start-up Pony.ai can collect fares for robotaxi rides in parts of two major Chinese cities as of Sunday.

Pony.ai handout

BEIJING — Self-driving start-up Pony.ai announced Sunday it received a taxi license, the first of its kind in China.

The license allows Pony.ai to operate 100 self-driving cars as traditional taxis in the Nansha district of the southern city of Guangzhou, the company said.

The Chinese start-up, which is backed by Toyota, received approval from Beijing city late last year to charge fees to operate a commercial robotaxi business in a suburban district of the city. It is not the same as a taxi licence.

Baidu’s Apollo Go also received approval in the same Beijing district last year.

Pony.ai was valued at $8.5 billion in early March. The company said its Nansha taxi license required 24 months of autonomous driving testing in China and/or other countries, and no involvement in any active liability traffic accidents, among other factors.

The start-up said it plans to launch commercial robotaxi businesses in two other large Chinese cities next year. The company is already testing self-driving cars in those cities and in California. 

Robotaxis in China currently have a human driver present for safety.

— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.



Source

Bank of Korea keeps rates unchanged on Seoul’s housing market risks; upgrades GDP and inflation forecasts
World

Bank of Korea keeps rates unchanged on Seoul’s housing market risks; upgrades GDP and inflation forecasts

Aerial view of Seoul downtown city skyline with vehicle on expressway and bridge cross over Han river in Seoul city, South Korea. Mongkol Chuewong | Moment | Getty Images South Korea’s central bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 2.5% for its second straight meeting to assess housing prices in the capital further, after prices […]

Read More
CNBC Daily Open: Are investors missing the Nvidia forest for the AI tree?
World

CNBC Daily Open: Are investors missing the Nvidia forest for the AI tree?

An Nvidia chip is seen through a magnifying glass in Beijing, China, on August 1, 2025. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images Market watchers might be perplexed by the seemingly contradictory moves of Nvidia’s shares in extended trading. The company beat expectations for its second-quarter results, and its forward revenue guidance also surpassed […]

Read More
Asia-Pacific markets poised to trade lower; Bank of Korea policy decision in focus
World

Asia-Pacific markets poised to trade lower; Bank of Korea policy decision in focus

Sunset scene of light trails traffic speeds through an intersection in Gangnam center business district of Seoul at Seoul city, South Korea Mongkol Chuewong | Moment | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets were poised to trade lower Thursday as investors await the Bank of Korea policy decision. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was on course to open lower, with […]

Read More