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Baidu receives regulatory approval for autonomous driving service in Switzerland

June 12, 2026 7:47 AM

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) announced that AmiGo, an autonomous mobility service developed through a partnership between its Apollo Go division and Swiss Post's PostBus, received a special operating permit from Switzerland's Federal Roads Office for Level 4 autonomous operations in Eastern Switzerland.



The permit allows AmiGo vehicles to conduct open-road testing across an 80 square kilometer service area in the cantons of St. Gallen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, and Appenzell Innerrhoden. Testing began June 1, 2026, with safety operators on board.



Regular fully driverless operations are expected to launch in early 2027, pending compliance with safety and regulatory requirements. The service will use Apollo Go's RT6 vehicles, which are fully electric and equipped with over 30 sensors. Each vehicle can carry up to three passengers.



Jürg Röthlisberger, Director of FEDRO, said the permit provides "the framework — with clear requirements, defined responsibilities, and the objective of learning from operations for the next steps."



Stefan Regli, CEO of PostBus, stated the permit shows "we can implement operations step by step and under clearly defined safety requirements."



Apollo Go delivered 3.2 million fully driverless rides in the first quarter of 2026, with cumulative rides exceeding 22 million as of April 2026. The service operates in 27 cities globally and has accumulated over 330 million autonomous kilometers as of May 2026, including over 220 million fully driverless kilometers.



The information is based on a company press release statement.

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