Tech firms get self-driving commercial licenses

Move will help companies to conduct passenger tests on unmanned vehicles

Chinese internet search giant Baidu Inc was among three technology companies to receive China's first batch of self-driving commercial licenses, which means the large-scale introduction of autonomous vehicles will become a reality sooner than expected.

The permits were issued by the traffic authority in Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei province on Sunday. They will allow companies to conduct tests with passengers on 28 kilometers of public roads and carry out commercial operations at the city's new demonstration zone.