China's autonomous driving startup WeRide announced that its self-driving taxi service will be available on Alibaba's navigation platform Amap starting this month, as the forefront technology is speeding up commercialization amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Under the new partnership with Amap, consumers can call WeRide's autonomous driving taxi through its own app or Amap. The service is currently available in major areas in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province.

"The cooperation with Amap will bring WeRide's Robotaxi to a more developed mobility market. More people can enjoy our Robotaxi service through the collaboration. Together we will explore and build a new kind of business in the future autonomous mobility market," said Zhang Li, WeRide's chief operating officer.

WeRide, founded in 2017, is one of the leading startups in the self-driving taxi. After launching China's first Robotaxi in November 2018, WeRide initiated the first publicly accessible Robotaxi service in November last year.