(JW Insights) May 31 -- Pony.ai(小马智行) is to offer unmanned transport services in Shanghai with Jin Jiang International(锦江国际)'s taxi unit, one of the biggest taxi firms in the city, reported Yicai Global on May 30.

Poni.ai and the subsidiary of the state-owned operator of Jinjiang Hotel and Peace Hotel are now qualified to carry out demo operations of a robotaxi service in Shanghai, Guangzhou-based Pony.ai announced on May 30. The tests will be done on nearly 1,100 kilometers of open roads in the city's Jiading district.

Pony.ai will be in charge of the autonomous driving solution and the transport unit of the hospitality conglomerate will operate and manage the platform. The service area will cover over 220 ride-hailing pick-up points, including residential communities, office buildings, and hotels, to meet the daily transport needs of local residents, and the scale is expected to be expanded.

Founded in 2016, Pony.ai has research and development centers in Silicon Valley and China's Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. It has already launched robotaxi services in Guangzhou and Beijing, serving 60,000 passengers with over one million trips, according to the statement.

Shanghai has opened 1,800 km of roads to test smart vehicles as of December 2022, based on official data. Before Pony.ai, Chinese tech giant Baidu's Apollo and local auto giant SAIC Motor's Xiangdao Chuxing have launched unmanned taxi services in the city, said the Yicai Global report.

(Chen HX/Li PP)