Hong Kong is rapidly advancing its autonomous vehicle initiatives, with the government announcing plans to expand self-driving trials to Tung Chung and increase testing speeds to 50km/h (31mph) within the next five months. This move marks a pivotal step towards the city’s broader vision of integrating autonomous mobility into daily life.

Transport and Logistics Secretary Mable Chan confirmed the developments during a Legislative Council session on Wednesday. She also highlighted future plans to roll out autonomous passenger services and commercial applications—including ride-hailing platforms—over the next few years.

The latest phase in Hong Kong’s autonomous journey follows the introduction of a comprehensive regulatory framework in March 2024, which officially enabled road testing for self-driving vehicles. Since then, two pilot licences have been granted, with Chinese tech giant Baidu’s Apollo Go program operating 12 autonomous vehicles under the scheme.

“The progress has been substantial,” Chan told lawmakers. “We’ve moved from testing a single private vehicle to a fleet of ten, enabling the collection of real-time data on multi-vehicle coordination and traffic integration.”

Following successful passenger trials on designated routes and positive safety assessments, testing is now moving to more complex road networks. After initial runs on the Hong Kong International Airport island, trials will extend to Tung Chung and Cyberport in the Southern District.

As part of the next phase, Baidu Apollo Go has submitted a proposal to the Islands District Council outlining new testing routes through Tung Chung’s residential zones. These include areas such as Fu Tung Estate and Yu Tung Court. Three autonomous vehicles will operate in the area during off-peak hours, from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM, and again from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

This expansion signals a major step forward in Hong Kong’s push towards smart mobility, bringing the city closer to deploying autonomous vehicles for public and commercial use. With real-world data collection underway and public trials expanding, the groundwork is being laid for a transformative shift in urban transportation.

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