A batch of six driverless Apollo minibuses is unveiled in Yangquan High-tech Industrial Development Zone. [Photo/Yangquan Evening News]

A batch of six driverless Apollo minibuses developed by Chinese internet giant Baidu was recently unveiled in Yangquan High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Yangquan city, North China's Shanxi province, demonstrating the progress of local efforts to develop a city of smart vehicles. 

The autonomous driverless minibuses are black and white and each vehicle measures around 6 meters long, 2 meters wide, and 3 meters high. They each are equipped with 12 passenger seats and one driver's seat, as well as seatbelts.

Each minibus is equipped with a millimeter wave radar, laser radar, camera, and GPS navigation.

After system testing and adaptions to local roads, the minibuses will be able to drive without human input, make intelligent decisions and corrections as they carry passengers around.

The interior look of an Apollo minibus [Photo/Yangquan Evening News]

To accelerate the construction of its smart vehicle city, Yangquan launched the autonomous driving and connected road system project this June. 

The first phase involves constructing autonomous driving and connected road collaborative intelligent infrastructure on open roads of 200 kilometers in both directions to enable autonomous driving travel services.

Yangquan Linghang Technology Industry Co will arrange three trial routes for the Apollo minibuses, according to Qiao Binliang, the company's general manager.

"The project has arranged multiple types of driverless vehicles including taxis and buses, aiming to build a full-scenario autonomous driving travel system," Qiao said.

In the future, the project will develop more scenarios for smart transportation applications to greatly improve travel efficiency and travel experiences, as well as create a new smart transportation system.