Draft rules set for use of autonomous buses

China has released the first national draft guideline on the use of self-driving vehicles for public transport, a key move in accelerating the large-scale commercialization of autonomous driving technology and encouraging local authorities to formulate the relevant management policies, industry experts said.

The country will encourage the use of self-driving vehicles such as buses in an enclosed Bus Rapid Transit system, and allow autonomous vehicles to offer taxi services under simple and relatively controllable scenarios, according to draft rules published by the Ministry of Transport. The authorities are asking for public reactions to the guideline through Sept 7.

The draft regulation classified autonomous vehicles into three types: conditionally, highly, and fully autonomous vehicles, depending on the degree of their autonomous capacity.