Baidu announced that 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 Switzerland. 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.
