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Recent real-world deployments underscore a crucial shift from controlled environments to practical public operations. The last few months have seen major launches of Level-4 autonomous services, signifying confidence in vehicle autonomy without human oversight.
After rolling out its fully driverless Robobus in Singapore in July 2025—Southeast Asia’s first Level-4 shuttle service in open public spaces, representing a milestone for the country’s goal of integrating autonomous vehicles (AVs) into public transport by year end—WeRide also launched its 24-hour autonomous commercial robotaxi service in downtown Guangzhou, China, setting a milestone for AVs in dense urban areas, one of the first of its kind. Powered by a platform capable of 20 quadrillion operations per second, WeRide’s robotaxis have safely operated in the city for more than 2,200 days, covering major landmarks and transport hubs.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Beep, Inc. launched Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI), the nation’s first fully autonomous public transportation system, in Jacksonville, FL. As part of the city’s Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program, Beep will manage a fleet of 14 electric Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant AVs along a 3.5-mi route, enabling real-time vehicle supervision, fleet orchestration, and seamless transit integration. “Launching NAVI marks a major milestone toward safer, smarter, more accessible urban mobility,” said the newly appointed CEO of Beep.
Full Article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 20, Number 4, December 2025
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