Didi Chuxing launches self-driving ride-hailing services in Jiading district, Shanghai. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]

Chinese tech giant Didi Chuxing announced that self-driving ride-hailing services will be available in designated areas in Jiading district, Shanghai, according to a local media report on June 27.

The self-driving cars made their debut on a test road in Jiading's Anting town. They are equipped with two working staff members to guarantee safety and conduct testing work during the drive. A backup driver will be present in each of the self-driving cars in case of emergency.

Users can apply on Didi's mobile app for access to experience the self-driving services. Once approved, they can take free self-driving rides in a certain areas in Shanghai that are designed to test autonomous driving services. The areas cover core areas like Shanghai Automobile Exhibition Center, office buildings, hotels, as well as subway stations.

The service?represents a?milestone?in the pilot application of intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs), and is also an attempt to bolster the large-scale commercial use of?self-driving technologies.

Jiading district is home to the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle (Shanghai) Pilot Zone, the first of its kind in the country. The pilot zone was approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in June 2016 to be established in Anting Town in Jiading. It serves as a safe place for domestic ICVs to conduct road tests.

Currently, the district has opened 53.6 kilometers for road testing of ICVs, covering an area of 65 square kilometers with full 5G signal coverage. The test road is also equipped with an advanced smart?transportation?system, including a high-definition map, a vehicle-to-everything system, and a holographic road sensing system.

Jiading district has attracted more than 90 ICV enterprises, and the world's first 5G-based smart transportation system is under construction, both of which will push forward the commercialized operation of ICVs.