On February 27, WeRide, a Chinese globally leading autonomous driving technology company listed on Nasdaq (WRD), in collaboration with Renault Group, French autonomous driving operator Beti, and insurance group Macif, launched an L4-level autonomous ride-hailing service in Drôme, France. This marks WeRide's first public road L4 autonomous minibus (Robobus) fully unmanned commercial deployment in Europe.
In this cooperation, WeRide provides several autonomous minibuses equipped with L4-level autonomous driving technology. Each minibus is 6 meters long and can accommodate up to 8 passengers. The unmanned shuttle fleet will be operated by Beti and will officially commence shuttle services at the Rovaltain business park, located at Valence TGV station in Drôme, starting from March 10.
The newly opened unmanned shuttle route is 3.3 kilometers long. The service scope covers Valence TGV station, long-term parking lots, catering centers in the business district, and 3,000 employees of over 150 enterprises within the 162-hectare park. It focuses on three application scenarios: providing flexible solutions for personnel and goods movement between TGV stations, TER stations, and enterprises to encourage green travel and ensure environmentally friendly and efficient last-mile transportation; offering low-carbon shuttle services between long-term parking lots and Valence TGV station to fill the current gap where only walking is available; and connecting enterprises and other private venues in the park with catering centers to enhance commuting convenience for local employees and entrepreneurs.
The shuttle service deployed at the Rovaltain business park has several industry-leading features: this is the first time WeRide's L4-level autonomous driving technology has achieved public road fully unmanned commercial deployment in Europe, marking another milestone in the company's global expansion.
The autonomous shuttle service will be implemented in phases: The first phase is a trial operation, running from March 10 to April 19, Monday through Friday. It will showcase and validate the feasibility, safety, and operational efficiency of the service to the European transportation industry in real passenger scenarios. The second phase, full-scale operation, will commence in July this year, further expanding the scale and scope of the service.