Pony.ai, a leading Chinese autonomous driving technology company, has won a bid for a self-driving taxi project in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, government sources said.

After getting a permit to operate 100 driverless vehicles in Nansha, Pony.ai has become the first self-driving technology company in the country to receive a permit for commercial operation.

Passengers can hail and pay for rides on Pony.ai's online app, in Nansha's urban area of 803 square kilometers, after the company begins the taxi service in May.