China's first commercial automated driving services piloted in Beijing

(ECNS) -- China's first pilot program for commercial automated driving services was launched in Beijing on Thursday, as Beijing High-Level Automated Driving Demonstration Area granted tech giant Baidu an autonomous vehicle commercial permit.

It allows Baidu to charge fees for its Apollo driverless cabs in a designated area covering 60 square kilometers.

As one of the companies that first started running automated driving in China, Baidu's Apollo has tested more than 16 million kilometers in total mileage. Passengers can hail a ride using its Apollo Go app which has provided more than 115,000 orders during the third quarter.

The company has set the goal of expanding Apollo Go operations into 65 cities across China by 2025 and 100 by 2030.

With the support of relevant policies, Beijing has become a vanguard of China's automated driving industry.