Drivers In China Worry About Robotaxis Boom During Trial

Taxi drivers and ride-hailing drivers are concerned about the boom in robotaxis in multiple cities in China. According to Reuters, the Chinese government allowed an aggressive trial period, letting companies deploy hundreds of self-driving vehicles in around 19 cities in the country.

The United States has been more cautious and has suspended services and is currently investigating cases from companies like Zoox and Waymo after accidents registered with self-driving cars. China, on the other hand, has quickly issued permits and recently approved seven companies to test robotaxis including WeRide AutoX—backed by Alibaba—, Pony.ai—backed by the Japanese Toyota Motors—, Apollo Go, and SAIC Motor.

Pony.ai has 300 self-driving vehicles up and running and expects to reach 1,000 by 2026. Apollo Go expects to expand to 1,000 robotaxis in 100 cities by 2030. The official total number of self-driving vehicles has not been shared.

“Everyone will go hungry,” said Liu Yi, one of China’s 7 million registered ride-hailing drivers to Reuters. He began driving part-time after the construction business slowed down due to the unsold apartments crisis and now he predicts another one for taxi drivers.

As reported by Reuters, robots have also taken human driver instructor jobs in the industry since 2019 as now more driving schools have integrated robot teachers—also preferred by multiple students.

Xun Tianchen, from the Economist Intelligence Unit, said that officials are observing closely and that the Chinese government will probably intervene and set limits and also help drivers find new jobs.

In the United States, the government hasn’t allowed Chinese companies to test self-driving cars in American territory, but multiple American companies have deployed their models in cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Tesla has been one of the largest companies interested in expanding robotaxi services in the United States, but the company hasn’t progressed as fast as promised. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, has talked about unveiling the “Tesla Robotaxi” service, but it has been delayed.