How Urban Planning and Governance Reshape Future Mobility

This study compares autonomous vehicle (AV) technology programs and examines how regional policies shape their adoption. It uses two pilot programs— Alphabet’s Waymo in San Francisco, USA, and Baidu’s Apollo Go in Wuhan, China—as case studies, analyzing operational data from their respective services. While Apollo Go remains less internationally recognized, it has expanded more rapidly and covers a larger service area in Wuhan compared to Waymo in San Francisco. Our findings indicate that technology is not the primary determinant of robotaxi adoption metrics like fleet size, service coverage, and growth. Instead, fundamental and nuanced differences in governmental directives, policy support, infrastructural systems, and business models have significantly impacted their development. China’s national economy-driven strategy, local government entrepreneurism, and coordinated urban systems contrast sharply with the US’s market-driven  approach, which is governed by multiple layers of governmental regulations. This research systematically examines these two robotaxi programs and compares their key characteristics. By combining policy research with data analysis, this research illuminates how urban planning and governance can guide the adoption of AV technology and drive the transportation system transformation.