Baidu reports slower growth in robotaxi rides [Video]

BEIJING — Chinese tech company Baidu is reporting slower growth in its Apollo Go robotaxi rides than in prior quarters.

Figures Baidu reported Thursday showed the number of robotaxi rides operated publicly grew by 26% year-on-year in the first half of the year to a monthly average of 287,500 rides, according to CNBC calculations.

That’s down sharply from year-on-year growth of 184% in the first half of 2023, for a monthly average of 229,000 rides.

Some of the cars still require a safety driver and are not fully autonomous.

Baidu is one of the major operators of public-facing robotaxis in China, where regulators in parts of Beijing and cities such as Wuhan — Apollo Go’s largest operating region — have allowed the companies to collect fares.