People in Beijing can now book a taxi with no one at the wheel

For the first time in China, people will be able to get a taxi ride without anyone behind the wheel.

Baidu (BIDU) and autonomous driving startup Pony.ai announced Thursday that they had won the country's first permits to provide robotaxi ride-hailing services to the public. The permits do not require an operator to sit in the driver's seat.

The services were introduced in Beijing on Thursday, and allow passengers to call for taxis using each company's respective apps during daylight hours.