China on Thursday launched its first automatic driving commercial service pilot in Beijing, marking a shift from the trial to commercialization stage.

(Photo provided to the Paper)

Two companies, Baidu and Pony.ai, were granted permits to participate in the project, said Jie Fei, deputy office director of the high-level automatic driving demonstration zone.

Nearly 100 vehicles have been put into use. Residents would be able to hail a ride from more than 700 stops, Jie said.

(Compiled by Li Bowen)