Hong Kong has approved a trial scheme for fully driverless autonomous vehicles, with the technology to be tested on Airport Island without a person at the wheel as a backup for the first time.
The Transport Department announced on Thursday that it had expanded the scope of a pilot licence for autonomous vehicle trial schemes in North Lantau, after concluding that earlier remote-operation tests had met safety requirements.
“We are pleased to confirm that the autonomous vehicle tests have been ideal, safe and operating smoothly,” Commissioner for Transport Winnie Tse Wing-yee said.
Since February, autonomous vehicle trials on Airport Island were required to have a person inside the car. A second operator would also monitor the journey remotely from a control centre.
The latest arrangement allows for humans to be removed from the car entirely, while the car will still be monitored remotely.
Chinese technology giant Baidu received Hong Kong’s first pilot licence for autonomous vehicles in November 2024.