Yandex has launched autonomous ride-hailing service in the university city of Innopolis, Russia. For now, there will be two self-driving vehicles in operation and they’ll provide rides to specific locations.
Yandex will operate both the vehicles within the city for free of charge and keep a safety engineer in the passenger seat. Residents can order rides to multiple set destinations such as the university, the stadium, residential blocks, and the local business center. Currently, approximately 100 passengers have agreed to participate in the testing of the driverless ride-hailing service and received a link to order rides through a Telegram chatbot.
Yandex unveiled a prototype of its self-driving Prius last year. The company says that in the future, it plans to expand its driverless ride-hailing service, adding more destinations and vehicles and removing the safety rider.
Source: Yandex
