China's first autonomous shuttle route dedicated to cross-border medical travel has started operations in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, aiming to improve transportation access for inbound tourists seeking medical services.

The shuttle service, known as the "Hengqin-Macao Medical Line", connects Hengqin Port with the Hengqin unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, providing direct point-to-point transportation between the port and the hospital.

Powered by autonomous driving technology and operation support from domestic tech firm MOGOX and Autonoma, the route spans 7 kilometers and enables passengers to travel from the port to the hospital in about 15 minutes.

During the trial operation period, the Robobus service is open to the public free of charge. It operates from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm, with buses departing every 30 minutes.

Official data shows that more than 20,000 visits were made last year by Macao residents seeking treatment at Hengqin Hospital. The launch of the new route is expected to further integrate autonomous driving technology with healthcare and community services, making cross-border medical travel more convenient for Macao residents, MOGOX said.

As the main technology provider for the project, MOGOX said it has deployed its autonomous buses in more than 20 cities across China, serving over 200,000 passenger trips and accumulating a total mileage of 5 million kilometers.

In October last year, the company also won the bid for Singapore's first official autonomous bus project, the first time autonomous buses have been incorporated into a public transport system overseas.

lijiaying@chinadaily.com.cn