(Yicai Global) May 30 -- Pony.ai, a Chinese autonomous driving startup, will start offering unmanned transport services with Jin Jiang International Holdings' taxi unit, one of the biggest taxi firms in Shanghai.

Poni.ai and the subsidiary of the state-owned operator of Jinjiang Hotel and Peace Hotel are now qualified to carry out demo operations of a robotaxi service in the eastern city, Guangzhou-based Pony.ai announced on WeChat today. The tests will be done on nearly 1,100 kilometers of open roads in Shanghai's Jiading district.

The technology company will be in charge of the autonomous driving solution and the transport unit of the hospitality conglomerate will operate and manage the platform. The service area will cover over 220 ride-hailing pick-up points, including residential communities, office buildings, and hotels, to meet the daily transport needs of local residents, and the scale is expected to be expanded.

Founded in 2016, Pony.ai has research and development centers in Silicon Valley and China's Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. It already launched robotaxi services in Guangzhou and Beijing, serving 60,000 passengers with over one million trips, according to the statement.

Shanghai has opened 1,800 km of roads to test smart vehicles as of December 2022, based on official data. Before Pony.ai, Chinese tech giant Baidu's Apollo and local auto behemoth SAIC Motor's Xiangdao Chuxing have launched unmanned taxi services in the city.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi