Initial trials will be concentrated on roads surrounding residential areas, she said, with a phased expansion of autonomous driving applications planned subsequently.
Writing in her blog, the transport minister shared her experience as one of the first passengers to test ride Baidu’s autonomous vehicle, expressing satisfaction with its performance.
This follows the Transport Department’s announcement last month that Baidu will extend its autonomous vehicle testing routes in North Lantau to the vicinity of the airport, establishing five designated passenger pick-up and drop-off locations as part of the trials.
“Whether it was yielding to traffic, changing lanes or navigating roundabouts, which is also a challenge for probationary driving licence holders, the autonomous vehicle performed excellently, indistinguishable from a regular car,” she said.
“Baidu used a left-hand drive autonomous vehicle that day.
“However, the steering wheel being on the left or right makes little difference as autonomous vehicles don’t require manual operation.”
Chan added that Baidu aims to leverage its Hong Kong testing programme to facilitate a global expansion and has expressed its intention to introduce right-hand drive autonomous vehicles for testing to accommodate diverse driving environments worldwide.
In addition, she wrote that the Airport Authority expects that by this year, travellers arriving via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will be able to ride autonomous minibuses along the “Airportcity Link” to travel between the bridge’s Hong Kong port and nearby commercial facilities.
The minibus journey will take approximately three minutes, with each vehicle accommodating up to 16 passengers per trip.
The authority expects the minibuses to be able to carry about 500 passengers per hour in one direction initially, with the long-term goal being 2,000 passengers per hour.
The plan is for the system to be connected to Tung Chung city centre by 2028, facilitating seamless transfers to the MTR network.
