Timeline

Milestones derived from the stage history of every service and from regulators' key dates. Firsts mark the first public driverless rides in a city.

2026

  1. RegulationSpain: First national Level 4 permit (ES-AV) granted to WeRide, Uber and AVOMO source
  2. RegulationUnited States (federal): NHTSA opened Audit Query AQ26002 into Tesla Cybercab FMVSS self-certification source
  3. RegulationSouth Korea (Seoul): Gangnam fleet expanded to 19 vehicles. source
  4. RegulationCalifornia, United States: CPUC approved Waymo paid driverless service across 18 counties source
  5. RegulationUnited Kingdom: TfL grants PHV licences to Wayve vehicles for Uber trial source
  6. RegulationChina (national): First mandatory national standard on L3/L4 ADS safety requirements recently issued (per Baidu) source
  7. RegulationChina (national): Bloomberg reports permit issuance resuming gradually after review completed in late June source
  8. RegulationHong Kong SAR, China: First fully driverless trial approved on Airport Island source
  9. RegulationDubai, United Arab Emirates: RTA introduces a Dh5 fare for driverless taxi rides (previously free). source
  10. RegulationUnited States (federal): First commercial exemption for a purpose-built robotaxi (Zoox), up to 2,500 vehicles per year source
  11. RegulationSwitzerland: FEDRO special Level 4 operating permit for AmiGo (Apollo Go / PostBus) announced source
  12. RegulationCalifornia, United States: CPUC drivered pilot permit for Nuro source
  13. RegulationUnited Kingdom: UK opened applications for operating licences source
  14. RegulationChina (national): Bloomberg reports suspension of new robotaxi permits nationwide source
  15. RegulationWuhan, Hubei, China: Apollo Go Wuhan operations reported suspended during investigation source
  16. RegulationSingapore: Public rides begin on LTA-selected Punggol autonomous shuttle routes. source
  17. RegulationChina (national): MIIT and two other agencies meet pilot cities, order self-reviews after Wuhan outage source
  18. RegulationSouth Korea (Seoul): Gangnam autonomous taxi becomes paid. source
  19. RegulationDubai, United Arab Emirates: RTA launches commercial autonomous taxi operations with Apollo Go and WeRide in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah. source
  20. RegulationNew York, United States: Waymo NYC testing permits expired source
  21. RegulationWuhan, Hubei, China: Mass stall of Apollo Go robotaxis; police cite system malfunction source
  22. RegulationHong Kong SAR, China: Cross-district trial to Tung Chung and Sunny Bay; remote backup operators added source
  23. RegulationNew York, United States: Hochul dropped robotaxi expansion from budget proposal source
  24. RegulationJapan: First Level 4 operation on public roads in the Tokyo metropolitan area (Kashiwa-no-ha shuttle bus, Chiba). source
  25. RegulationDubai, United Arab Emirates: Apollo Go receives Dubai's first fully driverless testing permit. source

2025

  1. RegulationTexas, United States: Deadline for TxDMV and DPS implementing rules source
  2. RegulationSwitzerland: FEDRO driverless permit for WeRide robotaxi in Furttal source
  3. RegulationGermany: KBA approves HOLON urban under section 16 AFGBV for nationwide autonomous testing with safety driver source
  4. RegulationAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: ITC issues one of the first fully driverless commercial permits to Apollo Go and AutoGo. source
  5. RegulationSaudi Arabia: WeRide graduates from the sandbox and launches public robotaxi rides on Uber in Riyadh with safety drivers. source
  6. RegulationAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: WeRide robotaxi obtains a federal permit for fully driverless commercial operations; ITC then licenses WeRide and Tawasul. source
  7. RegulationTexas, United States: SB 2807 effective source
  8. RegulationUnited States (federal): NHTSA granted Zoox an exemption under its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program source
  9. RegulationNew York, United States: NYC approved Waymo supervised testing source
  10. RegulationShanghai, China: First eight ICV demonstration operation permits issued at WAIC source
  11. RegulationSaudi Arabia: TGA regulatory sandbox for autonomous vehicle piloting established. source
  12. RegulationTexas, United States: SB 2807 signed by the Governor source
  13. RegulationLuxembourg: Scientific Level 4 testing permit for Pony.ai Europe source
  14. RegulationBeijing, China: Beijing autonomous vehicle regulations take effect source
  15. RegulationShenzhen, Guangdong, China: First paid fully driverless permit in Nanshan city centre (Pony.ai) source
  16. RegulationGuangzhou, Guangdong, China: Guangzhou ICV regulations take effect source

2024

  1. RegulationJapan: First specified automated operation permit for a commercial vehicle (Hitachi BRT, Ibaraki). source
  2. RegulationHong Kong SAR, China: First AV pilot licence issued (North Lantau, 10 vehicles) source
  3. RegulationSouth Korea (Seoul): Late-night autonomous taxi pilot starts in Gangnam. source
  4. RegulationGuangzhou, Guangdong, China: Draft ICV regulation published for comment source
  5. RegulationChina (national): MIIT announces first nine automakers in the L3/L4 access pilot source
  6. RegulationUnited Kingdom: Automated Vehicles Act 2024 enacted source
  7. RegulationBeijing, China: Permits for robotaxi service to Daxing Airport with safety inspector source
  8. RegulationHong Kong SAR, China: AV regulatory regime (Cap. 374AA) comes into operation source

2023

  1. RegulationCalifornia, United States: DMV suspended Cruise driverless permits source
  2. RegulationCalifornia, United States: CPUC approved Cruise and Waymo charging fares for driverless service in San Francisco source
  3. RegulationAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: WeRide receives the UAE's first national licence for self-driving vehicles covering testing and operation on public roads. source
  4. RegulationShenzhen, Guangdong, China: Pingshan issues first unmanned commercial pilot permit (Apollo Go) source
  5. RegulationJapan: Japan's first Level 4 public road service starts in Eiheiji, Fukui. source
  6. RegulationJapan: Road Traffic Act amendment allows Level 4 on public roads. source
  7. RegulationBeijing, China: First fully driverless robotaxi permits in Yizhuang (Apollo Go, Pony.ai) source

2022

  1. RegulationWuhan, Hubei, China: First commercial fully driverless ride-hailing permits (Apollo Go) source
  2. RegulationShenzhen, Guangdong, China: Shenzhen ICV regulation takes effect source
  3. RegulationGermany: AFGBV ordinance on approval and operation of vehicles with autonomous driving function adopted, in force 2022-07-01 source
  4. RegulationUnited States (federal): NHTSA finalized occupant protection rules for vehicles without driving controls source
  5. RegulationRussia (Moscow and other experimental zones): Government resolved disagreements; experimental legal regime for Moscow robotaxi testing to be published source

2021

  1. RegulationArizona, United States: Statute took effect; existing operators had 60 days to file interaction plans source
  2. RegulationFrance: Decree 2021-873 adopted (published 2021-07-01) source
  3. RegulationNevada, United States: AB 412 updated the AV framework source

2020

  1. RegulationCalifornia, United States: CPUC authorized deployment programs with fares (D.20-11-046) source
  2. RegulationDistrict of Columbia, United States: Council passed AV testing law source

2019

  1. RegulationNevada, United States: AB 23 updated the AV framework source

2018

  1. RegulationCalifornia, United States: CPUC authorized drivered and driverless pilot programs (D.18-05-043) source
  2. RegulationArizona, United States: DPS law enforcement protocol for AVs referenced by statute source

2017

  1. RegulationSingapore: CETRAN AV Test Centre launched. source
  2. RegulationSingapore: Road Traffic (Autonomous Motor Vehicles) Rules 2017 introduced. source

2012

  1. RegulationFlorida, United States: Florida allowed public road testing of automated vehicles source

2011

  1. RegulationNevada, United States: AB 511 authorized automated vehicles on public roads source