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Kristen Cheung

Mainland Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing will apply to test autonomous vehicles in a Hong Kong urban area this year, a government adviser has revealed, with the trial runs potentially being expanded later on to cover more new development areas.
The announcement followed a visit to Didi’s Beijing headquarters last Wednesday by Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan and a group of lawmakers.
Gary Zhang Xinyu, a member of the Transport Department’s working group for promoting autonomous vehicle applications, said on Monday that the company would apply for an autonomous vehicle pilot licence in Hong Kong this year, with initial trial runs planned for Tseung Kwan O.
“Tseung Kwan O itself is large and diverse – the town centre, Lohas Park and the industrial estate all have different road conditions,” he told a radio programme.
“The industrial estate is a more suitable place to start because the roads are wider, the traffic volume is lower, and the overall environment is relatively simple.”
Didi is also recruiting autonomous vehicle test drivers for Tseung Kwan O roles at HK$21,000 to HK$22,000 (US$2,678 to US$2,805) a month, according to a job posting.
The listing states that drivers will need to operate vehicles on open roads, as well as record conditions and system performance to ensure safety.
Candidates must have held a Hong Kong driving licence for at least five years, with no traffic convictions in the past five years and have experience driving on the mainland.

Zhang said testing could be expanded to new development areas such as Tuen Mun’s So Kwun Wat if a viable business model emerged.
“In a few years, you will see autonomous vehicles in many places across Hong Kong, and this is something expected to happen,” he said.
He added that commercialising autonomous ride-hailing services would require only technical amendments to existing ride-hailing licence frameworks, with the taxi industry already showing strong interest in integrating the technology.
From September 2 to 5, transport chief Chan led Legislative Council transport panel members on a duty visit to Beijing, touring Didi’s headquarters and its autonomous driving test facilities in Yizhuang.
The delegation inspected the government regulator’s real-time big data centre as part of research into Hong Kong’s coming ride-hailing and autonomous vehicle regulations.


Ben Chan Han-pan, chairman of Legco’s transport panel and a fellow delegation leader, said riding in driverless vehicles in the Yizhuang autonomous driving zone showed the technology was highly mature, operating smoothly without a safety driver on board.
He noted Hong Kong’s route-based testing differed from the mainland’s zone-based model and that local roads were less complex.
“We welcome capable companies to test here because they bring technology and talent, but they must meet our legal requirements, and we will not lower standards,” Chan said.
Baidu received Hong Kong’s first pilot licence for autonomous vehicles in November 2024, launching tests in North Lantau the following month.
The Transport Department has since issued nine pilot licences covering 69 vehicles across areas including West Kowloon, Hong Kong International Airport and the University MTR station.


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Hong Kong transport

Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing to apply to test driverless vehicles in Hong Kong

Didi will be recruiting autonomous vehicle test drivers for Tseung Kwan O roles at HK$21,000 to HK$22,000 a month. Photo: Getty Images

Didi is also recruiting autonomous vehicle test drivers for Tseung Kwan O roles at HK$21,000 to HK$22,000 a month, according to a job posting. Photo: Getty Images

Candidates must have held a Hong Kong driving licence for at least five years, with no traffic convictions in the past five years. Photo: AFP

Several ride-hailing firms express interest in Hong Kong licences: minister

In Hong Kong, apart from Uber, Singapore-based Tada, Amap and Didi Chuxing currently serve the market. Photo: Dickson Lee

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan says two to three firms have expressed an interest in Hong Kong ride-hailing licences. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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The government has announced the criteria for interested operators wanting to apply for a licence under the city’s new regulatory framework for ride-hailing platforms. Photo: Karma Lo

Licensed platforms will be given nine months to meet the new regulatory requirements before they are fully enforced on August 22 next year, according to transport chief Mable Chan. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Uber is among several companies that will apply for a licence under the new regulatory regime. Photo: Dickson Lee

News

Hong Kong

Transport

Government adviser says mainland Chinese company plans Tseung Kwan O pilot project, with room to expand if business model proves viable


Government adviser says mainland Chinese company plans Tseung Kwan O pilot project, with room to expand if business model proves viable.


Hong Kong science and technology

Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles

China

Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing to apply to test driverless vehicles in Hong Kong

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Government adviser says mainland Chinese company plans Tseung Kwan O pilot project, with room to expand if business model proves viable

Government adviser says mainland Chinese company plans Tseung Kwan O pilot project, with room to expand if business model proves viable