Mobility Innovators

The city of Guangzhou launched the first L4 autonomous driving public bus line for public use. The bus is operating on the route – Nansha 23 with a total route length of 8.5 kilometers, between [07:00] to [19:00] hrs. It runs from Hengli Metro Station Bus Terminal to Lingshan Island Ring Line.

Nansha District is the “Intelligent Traffic Management Vehicle Network Demonstration Zone”. The Nansha No. 23 self-driving bus demonstration line adopts the technology of “bicycle intelligence + network connection empowerment”, and the route realizes the whole process of automatic driving.

Some of the technical features include:

• Smart bus voice robot control system (Xiaoyu) – The passenger can control the lighting and air conditioning through voice command.
• Two 64-line LiDARs – Distributed in the position of the original rearview mirror. LiDARs can accurately perceive any object within 200 meters, obtain its three-dimensional information, determine its distance, orientation, and motion status, and is not affected by lighting conditions.
• 12 high-definition cameras – Capture real-time high-definition images without blind spots in 360°, detect and identify lane lines, traffic lights, traffic signs, etc., and accurately identify pedestrians and other vehicles on the road.
• USB ports – Offering a comfortable journey experience to riders.
• Slow brake buttons –  If an emergency occurs, passengers can press the slow-brake button to stop the vehicle in time.
• Professional-level safety personnel – The vehicle is completely controlled by the L4-level unmanned system, and the safety officer can take over the operation of the vehicle in case of danger.

Automated driving cars are limited to six passengers, and reservations are required to take the automated driving bus. The free ride passengers should be at least 18 years old and have full capacity for civil conduct. If a passenger fails to take the bus on time on three occasions, the person will be blacklisted and will not be able to continue making reservations.

At present, the services are free, but charges will later be incurred in accordance with relevant regulations.

Source: the city of Guangzhou’s official WeChat account