City's unmanned fleet completes over 1M orders in September

Functional unmanned vehicles in Shenzhen reached a major milestone in September, surpassing one million fresh product deliveries for the first time, as the city continues to lead the country in the operational scale and density of autonomous transport.

A Little Bamboo unmanned delivery vehicle is parked along a road in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen. The city recorded 1.02 million unmanned deliveries in September. Courtesy of Minieye

According to the latest report released by the Shenzhen Intelligent and Connected Transportation Association, the city recorded 1.02 million deliveries via unmanned vehicles last month, a 13% increase from August. The sector also generated an estimated commercial value of 8.7 million yuan (US$1.2 million), up 14.5% month on month, signaling robust growth in real-world application.

Nearly 800 functional autonomous vehicles were operational across Shenzhen in September, comprising 432 logistics vehicles and 362 sanitation vehicles. Utilization rates remained strong, with 77% of logistics units and 89% of sanitation vehicles actively in service.

Autonomous logistics vehicles alone covered a total of 200,000 kilometers during the month, a 21% increase from August. Meituan’s fleet accounted for 127,000 km, while Neolix vehicles traveled 58,000 km.

An unmanned delivery vehicle operated by Jingdong Logistics travels along a street in Shenzhen. Courtesy of Jingdong Logistics

The city has further expanded testing infrastructure, opening 1,257 autonomous vehicle routes spanning 3,581 kilometers — a 12.4% monthly increase in accessible mileage. Longgang District leads with nearly 1,650 km of open roads, followed by Pingshan with 1,036 km.

Nationally, by the end of 2024, more than 6,000 unmanned delivery vehicles had entered large-scale commercial operation across China, handling hundreds of millions of orders in over 100 specialized scenarios. By mid-2025, over 100 Chinese cities had opened roads to such vehicles.

This year, Beijing and Shenzhen also began issuing Level 4 autonomous driving test licenses for micro cargo vans, marking a new phase of multi-scenario, large-scale development for autonomous freight services, with Shenzhen serving as a key national benchmark.