Chinese autonomous vehicle startup WeRide has been granted a license to road test its Level 4 autonomous driving shuttle buses within a 60 square-kilometer autonomous driving demonstration zone in Beijing.

This marks the first time shuttle buses using Level 4 autonomous driving technologies have been legally tested on the road in Beijing. 

Level 4 autonomous driving means the vehicles can self-drive in most conditions. However, the shuttles will still be manned during testing in case of emergency, according to the company.

Last November, the Beijing municipal working office of the high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone issued its first regulatory document for autonomous short-distance passenger transport without manual controls, allowing for the operation of driverless shuttle buses in Beijing.

The driverless shuttle buses, which have no steering wheel, brakes, or driver's compartment, and are front-mounted, have built-in safety redundancies, according to WeRide. 

The buses are powered by electricity and can reach top speeds of 40 kph. They are equipped with laser radar, high-definition cameras, millimeter-wave radar and other sensors that allow for precise detection and recognition of road conditions in any weather, according to the company.

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