Transport Department approves route expansion for autonomous vehicles pilot licence trials in North Lantau
The Transport Department (TD) announced today (June 18) that a pilot licence for autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been updated in accordance with section 20(3)(b) of the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicles) Regulation (Cap. 374AA) to expand the routes for AV trials in North Lantau.
The applicant has been approved to conduct trials for 10 AVs during a specified time on specified road sections in Tung Chung. Three autonomous private cars can be operated in each road test at most. The specified expanded routes cover Man Tung Road, Ying Hei Road, Yi Tung Road, Tung Chung Eastern Interchange, Yu Tung Road, Chung Yan Road, Shun Tung Road, Tung Chung Waterfront Road and Wai Tung Road.
A spokesman for the TD said that the North Lantau project, which commenced in December 2024, has made significant progress to date. The TD has expedited ongoing monitoring, proactively taken forward the project and granted approval under the new AV regulatory framework, achieving several technical advancements within months. They included scaling up the trials from a single vehicle to 10 vehicles operating simultaneously to collect multi-vehicle data, conducting designated passenger-carrying trials on specific routes after safety assessment, expanding the trial scope to roads with more complex traffic scenarios, and increasing the maximum speed limit to 50 km/h based on the trial route. This updated pilot licence further expands the trial routes, so that more useful data can be collected to evaluate AV performance in more different road conditions and communities.
The TD's label for pilot AV shall be displayed on all pilot AVs for identification by other road users. Details of the pilot licence have been uploaded to the TD's website on AV trials.
The TD welcomes interested organisations or enterprises to submit applications for a pilot licence and act in concert to promote the further development of autonomous driving in Hong Kong. Upon receipt of an application, the TD will consider various factors, including the design operating range and functions of the autonomous system submitted by the applicant, relevant international or national standards/guidelines, and the road test situations, based on the Code of Practice for Trial and Pilot Use of Autonomous Vehicles before approval. The TD will exercise stringent control with a view to promoting AV trials and development in Hong Kong in a safe and orderly manner.
