A driverless minibus route will start operations by the end of the month in Shenzhen’s Luohu district, linking six popular retail and entertainment venues in the area.

Starting and ending at Luohu Port (罗湖口岸), the route passes through notable locations such as Guomao Building (国贸) – one of Shenzhen’s earliest skyscrapers, Di Wang Tower (地王), the MixC mall (万象食家) in the Sungang area, the Grand Theater (大剧院), and the MixC mall (万象城) on Bao’an South Road.

Passengers can book free rides through Shenba Chuxing (深巴出行), the WeChat mini-program of Shenzhen Bus Group.

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As the first autonomous driving project operating in complex road conditions in a core urban area of a first-tier city, this minibus route is being hailed as a benchmark for self-driving technology.

The minibuses will navigate densely trafficked areas such as Jiabin Road and Renmin South Road, sharing the roads with motorized vehicles, scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians.

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This article is translated by China Daily from the original report in Chinese as published on the official WeChat public account of Shenzhen Bus Group.