Not long ago, driverless taxis were mostly confined to a few test zones. In the past few weeks alone, new services and trials have been announced on several continents, from a Chinese carmaker launching its own robotaxi brand to a Swiss valley where residents can now book a self-driving ride to the train station. Here's a tour of what's happening, how these services differ and what passengers should know.
China: Xpeng launches "Yoyo"
Chinese EV maker Xpeng has unveiled Xpeng Yoyo, its own robotaxi brand, and opened registration for the first external users, Electrive reported on 12 October. Access is by invitation code for now, in parts of Guangzhou.
The interesting part is the business model. Xpeng plans to provide the vehicles and technology while partners handle day-to-day fleet operations. It expects to earn money from hardware sales, services and commissions without becoming a taxi operator itself. Its robotaxi, based on the GX SUV and designed for Level 4 autonomy, uses four in-house AI chips and no lidar sensors. Xpeng has said it is aiming for fully driverless operation without safety staff on board by early 2027.
Switzerland: a first public service in the Zurich countryside
Switzerland's first publicly accessible robotaxi pilot is now running in Zurich's Furttal valley, according to Swiss Observer. The service, called Iamo (short for "intelligent automated mobility"), uses three electric vehicles serving around 100 stops across four small municipalities.
- Rides are booked through an app, and each vehicle carries up to three passengers.
- It runs daily from 1pm to 5pm during the pilot.
- Fares start at CHF 4.70 plus CHF 0.38 per kilometre. A 10 km trip costs about CHF 8.50, compared with roughly CHF 44 in a conventional Zurich taxi.
- A safety driver stays in each vehicle, and the front passenger seat is left empty.
The aim is to test whether automated cars can fill gaps in rural and suburban transport, connecting people to the rail network. Swiss Federal Railways is a project partner.
Hong Kong: free community rides in Tung Chung
Baidu's Apollo Go platform will run Hong Kong's first community public trial of autonomous cars in Tung Chung from 21 October to 3 November, Dimsum Daily reported. The free rides follow a 5.1 km loop that takes around 15 minutes, with 600 tickets distributed through the district council. A backup operator stays on board, and riders must be at least eight years old or 1.35 metres tall because the cars don't yet have child restraints.
And elsewhere
In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expanded the areas in which Amazon-owned Zoox is authorised to operate. Meanwhile, established operators such as Waymo in the US and Apollo Go in China already carry paying passengers in fully driverless services, as Swiss Observer notes.
The global picture isn't one race but many: different cities testing different models at different speeds, from fully driverless fleets to cautious pilots with a safety driver aboard.
Three approaches to rolling out robotaxis
- Scale first. Large operators in parts of the US and China run sizeable driverless fleets in defined city zones, gathering data quickly.
- Partner model. Carmakers like Xpeng supply vehicles and software while partners run the service, spreading costs and risks.
- Careful public pilots. Places like Switzerland and Hong Kong start small, with safety drivers and limited hours, to build public trust and regulatory evidence.
What passengers should know
- Check the operating zone. Robotaxis usually work only within mapped areas and set hours.
- Understand the safety set-up. Find out whether there's a safety driver, a remote operator or neither.
- Look for child seat rules. As the Hong Kong trial shows, some vehicles can't yet carry young children.
- Know how to get help. Learn how to contact support during a ride if something goes wrong.
- Accessibility varies. Not all vehicles are adapted for wheelchairs or limited mobility yet.
How a typical robotaxi ride works
Although each service differs, the experience tends to follow the same pattern. You book through an app and are directed to a designated pickup point, since many services can't yet stop just anywhere. The vehicle arrives, you confirm your identity through the app and unlock the door. Inside, screens usually show the planned route and what the car "sees" around it, which many first-time riders find reassuring. At the end, you get out at a set drop-off point, and payment happens automatically. Pilot schemes, such as those in Zurich and Hong Kong, often add questionnaires so operators can learn from passengers' impressions.
The open questions
Big questions remain. Can robotaxis operate profitably once pilot subsidies end? How well do they cope with snow, heavy rain and unusual road layouts? How will fares fit with existing public transport tickets? In Switzerland, for example, Iamo currently sits outside the regular fare system. And how will regulators handle remote supervision as safety drivers are phased out?
Why it matters for cities
Supporters argue robotaxis could make transport cheaper and more available in places poorly served by buses, as the Zurich pilot aims to show. Critics worry about jobs for drivers, added traffic if cheap rides pull people off public transport, and who is accountable when things go wrong. How cities answer these questions will shape whether robotaxis complement public transport or compete with it.
The takeaway
Robotaxis are moving from a handful of showcase cities to a growing patchwork of services around the world. Some are already fully driverless; others are deliberately cautious pilots. Either way, a growing number of people will get their first chance to ride in a car with no one driving it in the next year or two.
