MT... Russian tech giant Yandex has announced the launch of Europe’s first driverless taxi, which will hit the road in Innopolis, also known as the “Russian Silicon Valley.”
Yandex unveiled a driverless car prototype last year designed to operate under its Yandex.Taxi service. Companies across the world have been competing, with varying levels of success, to put a safe self-driving car on the road.
On Tuesday, Yandex announced a deal with officials in Russia’s Tatarstan republic to test its self-driving cars on the roads of Innopolis, a young city in the suburbs of Kazan built to spur IT innovation.
“Innopolis became the first city in Europe where you can use a ‘driverless’ for daily trips,” Yandex said.
A promo video on Yandex.Taxi’s YouTube page shows a three-seat hatchback cruising the streets of Innopolis, stopping in front of pedestrians and outmaneuvering other vehicles. Read More Russian Company Launches First Driverless Car in Moscow
The car allegedly made an 11-hour journey from Moscow to Kazan in June, during which Yandex said the co-pilot only had to intervene 1 percent of the time.
Yandex said two of its driverless vehicles will offer free shuttles around five central locations in Innopolis.
A test engineer will occupy one of the taxi’s three seats at all times, Yandex said.
“We understand that a car without a driver is a new phenomenon for our roads,” the company said.
Poster Comment:
Anyone using Yandex on internet; tried to get it but Google butted in.