Chinese robotaxi firm DeepRoute is deploying 20 self-driving cars in the central business district of downtown Shenzhen; it is the first company to be granted a permit to operate in the city.

DeepRoute is servicing more than 100 pick-up and drop-off points, including popular landmarks and Covid-19 vaccination centres.

The robotaxi programme is now available to the public, making it the first company to provide this type of service in Shenzhen. The vehicles have driven 1.6 million kilometres safely in four different cities around the world and will be covering approximately 200km of public roads in Shenzhen.

“We have tested our self-driving vehicles in Shenzhen for more than two years now,” said Xuan Liu, vice president at DeepRoute.ai. “We are excited to launch this programme and look forward to gradually increasing the number of vehicles available and operation zones covered.”

The taxis are free of charge and open to everybody over the age of 18 through an application process on DeepRoute’s official WeChat account. The submissions will be reviewed, and users will be sent an invitation code to activate the service.

DeepRoute’s level-four, full-stack self-driving system incorporates various functions within self-driving technology, including sensing, HD mapping, localisation, perception, planning and control, simulation, and a cloud-based data platform.

The robotaxi detects surrounding objects and predicts the trajectory of the surrounding moving objects, taking passengers to their destinations smoothly and safely, even at night or on rainy days. The company can also control their cars remotely should there be any malfunction affecting safety, increasing confidence and convenience for its passengers.