Baidu Surges Ahead With Release of Industry’s First Autonomous Bus Standards

Recently, under the guidance of the China ITS Industry Alliance, the “Association Standards on Autonomous Buses” were officially released, jointly drafted by Baidu together with ICT Institute, Shenzhen Future Intelligent Network Transportation System Industry Innovation Center (Shenzhilian), Tongji University, Saimo Technology, King Long, Hunan Xiangjiang Intelligent Technology Innovation Center, ZTE and Geely.

The standards include two parts: “Automated Driving Bus Part 1: Technical Requirements for Vehicle Operation” and “Automated Driving Bus Part 2: The Methods and Requirements of Automated Driving Function,” which mainly regulate the technical requirements of autonomous driving buses in vehicle safety, information safety, operation safety and autonomous function.

Among them, the first part, “Technical Requirements for Vehicle Operation,” aims to examine the operation of L4-class buses and to upgrade the safety and efficiency of passenger services in the field of autonomous buses.

The second part, “The Methods and Requirements of Automated Driving Function,” puts forward clear examination requirements and methods for the autonomous function of autonomous buses and aims to realize the comprehensive verification of the autonomous function of the vehicles through complete site and road combination tests.

Many cities in China have carried out demonstration operations of autonomous public vehicles. In April 2021, Baidu‘s autonomous buses were put into operation in Yongzhou District, Chongqing, representing the first autonomous buses open to the public in China. The two-way operation route covered nearly 10 kilometers, and three autonomous buses were put into operation.

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In July 2021, the first L4-level autonomous bus experience line in northern China was opened in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, with three automated driving buses put into operation. In August 2021, Shanghai’s first autonomous bus officially opened to the public near Dishui Lake, for which local citizens could make appointments to enjoy the riding experience.

According to the Operation Plan of Guangzhou Public Transport Group Autonomous Line Project, which was reviewed and approved in September 2021, six automated driving lines will be opened in Guangzhou in various stages, and 50 autonomous vehicles are planned to be equipped.

With more and more autonomous buses put into demonstration and operation, the introduction of relevant technical safety standards is becoming increasingly urgent. The release of the standards above is expected to drive the continuous improvement of relevant industry standards and provide the necessary guarantee for the development of safety standards for autonomous buses.