Didi's autonomous driving service launches—Cheng Wei says the new technology will create new career opportunities for drivers.

On June 27, Shanghai launched a large-scale demonstration application of intelligent connected vehicles for passenger transport, marking the first time Didi Chuxing has opened its autonomous driving services to the public. Users can sign up online through the Didi app; once approved, they’ll be able to hail autonomous vehicles for free test rides on designated autonomous driving test routes in Shanghai.

Currently, Didi's autonomous driving passenger testing is limited to open test roads in Shanghai, with routes passing through key areas such as the Auto Expo Center, office districts, subway stations, and hotels. Users can select their start and end points within the designated open-road area via the Didi app, allowing them to experience the autonomous driving service for free.

To ensure travel safety, the autonomous driving test vehicles are equipped with safety operators as required by regulations, enabling them to take over the vehicle at any time and handle unexpected situations. Meanwhile, Didi has established the country’s first Autonomous Driving Safety Escort Center, which provides real-time monitoring of both vehicles and road conditions. When vehicles encounter complex scenarios, the center can issue timely assistance commands, addressing potential remote support challenges that may arise during future autonomous driving operations.
In select intersections within the test area, Didi has deployed its independently developed vehicle-road collaboration solution, enabling real-time sharing of road information with autonomous driving test vehicles from different companies operating in the region—and eliminating blind spots during operation. Zhang Bo, CTO of Didi Chuxing and CEO of Didi Autonomous Driving, stated, "By adopting a mixed dispatch model that assigns rides to both human-driven and autonomous vehicles, Didi is addressing the limitation of autonomous cars being usable only in specific areas. This approach ensures that, at this stage, autonomous driving doesn’t remain just a novel experience—it can truly become a practical complement to people’s everyday travel."
Didi Chuxing's founder and CEO Cheng Wei stated, "We believe that AI technology will ultimately revolutionize driving safety and efficiency, bringing immense benefits to humanity. Didi’s greatest strengths lie in our unique scenarios, vast data resources, and unwavering commitment to sustained investment. At the same time, we also recognize that the path to fully realizing autonomous driving—from technological and commercial maturity to regulatory alignment—will be long and challenging. It will require at least another decade of continuous dedication, along with preparedness to tackle various obstacles and difficulties ahead. Yet, our direction remains clear and resolute." Cheng Wei added, "The warm, human-centered service provided by drivers will not disappear with the advent of new technologies. Instead, autonomous driving will open up entirely new career opportunities and job roles for ride-hailing drivers."

Didi has been building its autonomous driving R&D team since 2016, and currently the team in China and the U.S. together numbers nearly 400 members. As of now, Didi has secured road-testing qualifications in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, California, and other regions, and last September, it received one of the first batch of passenger-carrying demonstration operation licenses issued by Shanghai.

Translated from Sina Auto

Email:
info@adtfm.com

Phone:
021-20532053

Address:
2nd Floor, No. 150 Jindian Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai