Hong Kong’s airport authority will deploy a driverless vehicle fleet to pick up passengers between the SkyCity and the Hong Kong port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge by December 2025.
The plan, announced on Friday by Steven Yiu Siu-chung, the Hong Kong Airport Authority’s (HKAA) executive director of airport operations, will first involve 26 autopilot vehicles, with each able to carry 16 passengers. The vehicles, traveling at up to 40 km/h, will complete the ride in under three minutes.
The driverless fleet will be able to provide a one-way capacity of 500 passengers per hour, with plans to double that as the service scales up.
The HKAA will begin testing driverless passenger vehicles in August, with operations set to start in December.
The initiative follows the introduction of driverless tugs in 2019, and staff buses last year within the airport’s restricted area.
The driverless vehicles will complement the airport’s existing fleet of 84 manned vehicles, which are accessible around the clock via a mobile app and hotline.
By 2028, the driverless service is expected to expand to Tung Chung Station, increasing the fleet to 100 vehicles and boosting capacity to 5,000 passengers per hour, with a long-term goal of reaching 8,000.
READ MORE: HK international airport’s landmark three-runway system takes off
Yiu said that passengers will board the vehicles after clearing customs, taking a dedicated route via the sea bridge, which is currently under construction.
