Scenes of Apollo Go fleet operating on the streets of Hong Kong. Photo: Apollo Go
As AI transforms global industries, the transportation sector is undergoing notable changes. Autonomous driving technology is rapidly scaling, with companies like Google's Waymo and Baidu's Apollo Go leading the way.
A pioneer in autonomous driving, Waymo operates commercially in four major US cities, completing around 150,000 rides per week — an indicator of its scalability. Meanwhile, Baidu's Apollo Go has established itself as the leader in China's autonomous mobility sector and has achieved fully driverless operations as of February 2025. In Q4 2024, Apollo Go completed 1.1 million rides, averaging 12,000 rides per day, placing it among the largest global providers of autonomous ride-hailing services.
At a scale of tens of thousands of daily rides, efficiency is critical. Apollo Go's RT6 vehicle is designed for high-efficiency deployment, featuring advanced battery-swapping technology that enables recharging in under four minutes. This minimizes downtime and maximizes passenger service. With these innovations, Apollo Go is expanding its competitive and scalable services across more regions and cities.
Autonomous mobility's global expansion is attracting investment from both public and private sectors. In 2024, Apollo Go received Hong Kong's first autonomous vehicle pilot licenses, marking its entry into right-hand drive markets like the UK, Singapore, Japan, and Australia, which make up a third of the global automotive market.
At the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai, Baidu Co-founder and CEO Robin Li emphasized AI's long-term benefits for transportation. Meanwhile, the UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence proposed a fully autonomous vehicle fleet for future WGS events—potentially powered by Apollo Go's technology.
As cities continue to invest in autonomous transportation, companies like Apollo Go and Waymo are proving that AI-driven mobility is no longer a distant vision—it's already transforming urban transit.
