Baidu Inc announced on Monday that it has secured China's first permits to offer driverless robotaxi services to the public, thus marking a significant milestone for the autonomous ride-hailing industry that is expected to accelerate large-scale commercial use of self-driving technology.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL maps that enhance the accuracy of self-driving technology have been under development through cooperation between Japan’s public and private sectors. They are likely to be put into practical use by March 2019 for all expressways and other automobile highways totalling about 30,000 kilometres.