中国科技巨头百度将于下周启动香港首个大规模公开测试，预计将有1000多名居民乘坐自动驾驶汽车。
More than 1,000 residents are expected to ride in autonomous vehicles (AVs) after Chinese technology giant Baidu launches Hong Kong’s first large-scale public trial next week.
百度的自动驾驶出租车平台“萝卜快跑”将于10月21日至11月3日在东涌展开测试，并邀请1000多名居民参与。
Baidu’s robotaxi platform, Apollo, will run the trial in Tung Chung from October 21 to November 3, inviting more than 1,000 residents to take part.
百度智能驾驶群组高级项目及业务发展经理黄文曦将此次测试形容为该市自动驾驶领域的“里程碑”。
Iris Wong Man-hei, senior project and business development manager for the intelligent driving group at Baidu, described the trial as a “milestone” for the city’s autonomous driving sector.
她表示：“通过公众试乘，我们希望向东涌居民及更广泛的香港市民展示我们自动驾驶技术的最新成果和高安全标准。”
“Through the public test rides, we hope to show Tung Chung residents and the wider Hong Kong public the latest achievements of our autonomous driving technology and our high safety standards,” she said.
她还称：“我们亦希望收集真实的反馈，以推动该技术在香港的应用，为我们的自动驾驶车队加入香港公共交通系统并走向常态化运营奠定坚实基础。”黄文曦表示，公司将通过问卷调查收集反馈，以助改进技术。
“We also hope to gather real-world feedback to drive the adoption of the technology in Hong Kong, laying a solid foundation for our autonomous fleet to join the city’s public transport system and move towards regular operations.”Wong said the company would collect feedback through questionnaires to help improve the technology.
测试路线为一条长5.1公里的环线，车程约15分钟。路线由逸东邨停车场一号开始，至香港东涌世茂 Sheraton 酒店结束，中途不设站点。
The trial route is a 5.1km loop that takes about 15 minutes. It starts at Yat Tung Estate Carpark 1 and ends at the Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung Hotel, with no stops along the way.
每辆自动驾驶汽车最多可搭载两名身高须超过1.35米的乘客，前排乘客座位保持空置。这些车辆不具备无障碍设施，因此已提醒行动不便人士格外注意。
Each autonomous vehicle can carry up to two passengers, who must be taller than 1.35 metres, with the front passenger seat left empty. The vehicles do not have barrier-free features, so people with limited mobility have been asked to take extra care.
黄文曦介绍，每辆车将配备一名拥有平均10年驾龄及至少100小时自动驾驶培训经验的安全员，以应对紧急情况。
Each vehicle will have a backup operator with an average of 10 years’ driving experience and at least 100 hours of autonomous driving training to respond to emergencies, according to Wong.
例如，黄文曦表示，安全员可在紧急情况下将车停靠在路边，并在确保安全后疏散乘客。公司还通过其控制中心对车辆进行远程监控。
For example, Wong said operators could pull over to the roadside in an emergency and evacuate passengers once it was safe. The company also monitors the vehicles remotely from its control centre.
在周四上午《南华早报》记者参与的一次试乘中，安全员双手离开方向盘，仅在有一个大型垃圾袋被风吹向车辆时才接管驾驶。
During a test ride with a South China Morning Post reporter on Thursday morning, the operator kept his hands off the steering wheel and took control only when a large rubbish bag blew towards the vehicle.
后排座椅之间的触控屏允许乘客调节空调、座椅和车窗，并锁定车门。
A touch screen between the rear seats allows passengers to adjust the air conditioning, seats and windows, and lock the doors.
运输署于2024年向百度颁发了自动驾驶汽车先导牌照。此后，该公司的测试区域已从机场岛扩展至北大屿山、九龙东及港岛南。
The Transport Department issued Baidu a pilot licence for autonomous vehicles in 2024. The company’s testing districts have since been expanded from the Airport Island to North Lantau, Kowloon East and Hong Kong Island South.
7月，运输署还批准了在机场岛进行车内无安全员的无人驾驶测试。
In July, the department also approved driverless tests on Airport Island, with no in-vehicle backup operators.
百度还于8月与香港铁路有限公司及机场管理局合作，对香港西铁线（编者注：原文如此，按实际为香港西铁线不适用，原文为Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the Airport Express Kowloon Station，即香港西岸九龙站与机场快线九龙站）的接驳服务进行了道路测试。
Baidu also collaborated with the MTR Corporation and the Airport Authority in August to conduct a road test of a transfer service between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the Airport Express Kowloon Station.
迄今为止，该公司自动驾驶汽车在香港已安全行驶超过28万公里。
The company’s autonomous vehicles have travelled more than 280,000km safely in Hong Kong so far.