Sber’s technology subsidiary, SberAutoTech, has begun testing its drones for transporting passengers in Moscow. It is reported by vc.ru with reference to the company’s message.
So far, drones are flying on Andropov Avenue near the Technopark metro station and the MCC-ZIL station. The cars move autonomously, but a test engineer is in the driver’s seat to supervise the ride.
You can order a drone taxi through a special application for a smartphone and a SberPortal smart display. The passenger compartment is equipped with a “passenger tablet”, which displays trip data. Sber decided to start producing drones on its own only at the end of 2020. The drones are being tested on the basis of Kia Ceed.
Unmanned taxis in Russia are also engaged in Yandex. They are based on the Hyundai Sonata. During the year, the company brought about 100 such vehicles to public roads in Russia and the United States, part of the fleet is intended for the service of unmanned taxis in Innopolis (Tatarstan). On March 17, the government allowed Yandex to test unmanned taxis in Moscow. The operation of unmanned vehicles is possible in two modes: with a test driver in the front seat of the cabin and without him (then, if necessary, an operator can connect for remote support).
Earlier today, Andrey Vasilevsky, head of SberAutoTech, said in an interview with Kommersant that, according to the government’s plans, by 2035, a third of freight and passenger traffic in Russia’s largest cities will be carried out by drones and highly automated vehicles.