Hong Kong’s transport authorities will start to accept applications from autonomous vehicle (AV) operators for commercial operation of individual projects within this year.
Commissioner for Transport Winnie Tse Wing-yee announced the move while presiding over the third meeting of the Autonomous Vehicle Applications Promotion Working Group on Monday.
During the meeting, Tse said the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the chief executive's 2026 Policy Address – both delivered on Sept 16 – have established a clear direction for AV development in the city.
The announcement on accepting operator applications comes after driverless AV trials on Airport Island in late July and at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port automated carpark in mid-September.
The Transport Department said it will also advance the Airportcity Link autonomous transport system connecting the HZMB Hong Kong Port and SKYCITY.
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During the meeting, the participants received a joint briefing from the MTR Corp and the Airport Authority on the "Air-Rail Intermodal Service". This AV link will connect the Express Rail Link at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station with the Airport Express at Kowloon Station, according to a government notification.
The project is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2027 to streamline transfers for airline and railway passengers.
"More different AV application scenarios are coming into play, while projects connecting AVs to different transport modes and cross-district applications are also progressing in an orderly manner,” Tse said.
She encouraged the members to continue offering insights and suggestions, which, she said, will accelerate the large‑scale development of driverless autonomous driving in the city in an orderly manner and expedite its transition to commercial operations.
