Pony.ai Receives Shenzhen’s First Citywide Permit for Fully Driverless Robotaxis

Nov 3, 2025
Pony.ai has been granted Shenzhen’s first citywide permit for fully driverless commercial robotaxi operations, in partnership with Xihu Group. The authorization allows the companies to operate autonomous taxis across the city, beginning in Nanshan, Qianhai, and Baoan districts.

Pony.ai has been granted Shenzhen’s first citywide permit for fully driverless commercial robotaxi operations, announced in a press release. The permit was jointly issued to Pony.ai and Shenzhen Xihu Corporation Limited, the city’s largest taxi operator.

The authorization allows the companies to operate fully driverless robotaxis throughout Shenzhen, starting in the Nanshan, Qianhai, and Baoan districts before expanding to other areas. The service will use Pony.ai’s seventh-generation robotaxis, with more than 1,000 units planned for deployment over the next few years.

The partnership follows an 'asset-light + AI-empowered' model, under which Xihu Group manages fleet operations and Pony.ai provides the autonomous technology and dispatch systems. This collaboration supports the large-scale rollout of driverless mobility services across the city.

Pony.ai now holds permits for fully driverless commercial robotaxi operations in all four of China’s Tier-1 cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—and has accumulated over 55 million kilometers of autonomous testing worldwide.

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