Yandex is ready to launch an unmanned taxi in Moscow before winter. How drones work in Innopolis

The Yandex team recalled today its plans to launch an unmanned taxi in Moscow.

Initially announced in September, the company has now confirmed that the plans are still in place. In the Moscow district of Yasenevo, an unmanned taxi should begin test work before the beginning of winter – in the fall of 2021. You can still apply for participation on the project website if you are over 18 years old.

At the same time, the Yandex press service shared interesting statistics on the operation of an unmanned taxi in the city of Innopolis in Tatarstan. There a taxi without a driver has been working for three years. A poll conducted by the city authorities showed the following.

53% of the surveyed participants travel by unmanned taxi regularly – several times a month or more. Usually the car is called to get to work or school and back, to the gym and to the store. 97% of respondents advise their guests who come to Innopolis to try an unmanned taxi.

Passengers get used to the absence of a driver very quickly. 88% of respondents said it took them less than a couple of minutes. The main advantages of an unmanned taxi, passengers named travel safety, driving accuracy and observance of traffic rules.

Yandex notes that one of the reasons why the company chose the place to launch an unmanned taxi three years ago is the low traffic congestion in Innopolis. However, Yandex unmanned vehicles were also tested in other cities. On the streets of Moscow, Tel Aviv and Ann Arbor, cars with Yandex autopilot have already covered almost 15 million kilometers. The Yandex team has finalized the technologies of unmanned driving and is now ready for the next step – launching a taxi without a driver on the streets of Moscow.