Baidu, PostBus get regulatory nod for robotaxi service in eastern Switzerland

June 12 (Reuters) – Baidu said on Friday its autonomous vehicle service AmiGo, developed in partnership with Switzerland’s public bus operator PostBus, received a regulatory approval for operations in the eastern region of the European country.

Here are the details:

• Baidu aims to launch regular fully driverless operations of the joint service by early 2027, provided all safety and regulatory requirements are met.

• The company said the service is set to be Europe’s largest automated public transport operation of its kind.

• The service will use Apollo Go’s fully electric RT6 vehicles, each capable of carrying three passengers and equipped with over 30 sensors, the company said.

• Baidu said AmiGo’s services will be bookable through a dedicated app.

• Level 4 autonomous driving is a level of automation where the vehicle can operate without a human driver under specific conditions.

• Baidu had announced a partnership with PostBus last year, as the Chinese tech firm accelerates a global push of its self-driving business.

• China’s leading search engine operator, Baidu, has been increasing its focus on technologies including AI and self-driving as its advertising-driven search engine business has slowed due to a weakening Chinese economy.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)