Hong Kong MTR targets 2027 for driverless shuttle between West Kowloon and Airport Express

Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation began testing driverless vehicles between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the Airport Express Kowloon Station on 19 August 2026, with an eye to offering autonomous shuttle rides across the two stations by the second quarter of 2027. 

The new service is expected to cut a 12-minute walk through the Elements mall, which is currently the only pedestrian link between the two stations, to a ride of roughly seven to eight minutes, according to Hong Kong news outlet HK01. 

In a statement on 19 August 2026, the MTR noted that the future driverless service – a collaborative effort with the Airport Authority – would help cope with the increasing demand for transfer services between West Kowloon’s High Speed Rail (HSR) and the Airport Express Kowloon Station. The former connects Hong Kong to mainland China, while the latter links West Kowloon to the Hong Kong International Airport. 

To streamline transfers between rail and air service via the autonomous shuttle, the MTR added that it planned to introduce a counter for transit and luggage transfer at the West Kowloon Station. 

“This [autonomous vehicle shuttle] initiative will further enhance the two-way travel experience for HSR passengers transferring to flights, as well as air travellers connecting to the HSR, thereby encouraging more passengers to travel via HSR and Hong Kong International Airport,” the MTR said in the statement. 

How will MTR carry out autonomous vehicle trials?

Ahead of the service’s full launch, the MTR is carrying out trials with four sixth-generation Baidu Apollo autonomous vehicles that will run along designated routes between the two stations. 

None of the self-driving vehicles will have passengers on board during the trial’s early phase, although they will carry an engineering staff member. As well, a backup operator will be present to supervise the vehicle’s driving and take control where necessary. 

[See more: RobotTaxi in Guangzhou: We tried China’s driverless cab]

The launch of the trial comes after Hong Kong’s Transport Department issued a pilot autonomous vehicle licence to the MTR on 11 August 2026, allowing the company to conduct driverless trials for four vehicles using approved routes such as Wui Man Road, Jordan Road and Nga Cheung Road. 

Where else is Hong Kong testing self-driving vehicles? 

The Hong Kong government has also granted autonomous vehicle pilot licences to a number of other operators. A recent example is Citybus Limited, which received approval on 15 July 2026 to carry out driverless minibus trials between Hong Kong Science Park and MTR University Station. 

Similarly, Hang Po Transportation has been carrying out autonomous bus tests in Siu Ho Wan since June 2026, with the Airport Authority Hong Kong also conducting self-driving car trials at the Park & Fly Car Park since December 2025. 

Which Greater Bay Area cities already have driverless vehicles?

Hong Kong is not the only city in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to test autonomous vehicles, as other nearby locations like Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hengqin have been deploying autonomous vehicles across test zones in recent years. 

For example, Hengqin, has been experimenting with autonomous robotaxis, mini-buses and cleaning vehicles in recent years. In 2024, the Zhuhai island district opened up all of its roughly 330 kilometres of road for driverless vehicle testing and demonstrations. 

This is also the case for Shenzhen, which has been trialling autonomous vehicles for purposes such as logistics, cleaning, patrol and shuttle services, and has been looking to expand the scope of usage. 

Meanwhile, Guangzhou opened up 1,340 roads to autonomous vehicle testing across an area of 3,240 square kilometres, as of October 2025.