A new delivery model has emerged in Shenzhen, where neatly sealed packages from a major logistics firm now "ride" the subway across the city before being picked up by autonomous vehicles at stations.
This marks the nation's first "driverless vehicle + subway" same-city delivery system, pioneering a complete, routine logistics solution that integrates autonomous ground transport with urban rail transit.
In Pingshan District, same-city parcels are first transported by driverless vehicles from a sorting hub to a subway station. Crew members then load the containers into the train. Once the subway arrives in Bao'an District, another driverless vehicle waits at the exit, loads the containers, and proceeds directly to a sorting center. This creates a seamless three-stage direct transport chain: autonomous vehicle collection, subway cross-district transit, and autonomous vehicle handoff.
The model eliminates redundant steps like truck transfers and multiple loading/unloading, replacing road transport—which is often subject to traffic disruptions—with the punctual and stable underground rail network. It also efficiently utilizes spare subway capacity during off-peak hours without affecting daily commuters, ensuring stable package delivery efficiency and laying the groundwork for future same-city deliveries from supermarkets and retail.
The impact is tangible. Previously, same-city cross-district parcels required overnight truck transport, often not reaching the sorting and delivery stage until the next day. Now, packages can "ride" the subway during the day, be sorted, and dispatched to local delivery points on the same day, allowing customers to receive their parcels half a day earlier.
Operational data shows that implementing the "driverless vehicle + subway" model has reduced transportation costs by approximately 60% and increased capacity utilization by 10%, enabling ordinary consumers to receive same-city packages sooner.
In April this year, Shenzhen granted nighttime cross-district road rights for functional driverless vehicles, and JD Logistics was among the first companies to obtain nighttime operation permits. To date, JD Logistics has deployed nearly 100 driverless vehicles across 22 delivery points in Shenzhen, establishing 121 nighttime delivery routes.
As a core component of unmanned delivery, JD Logistics' "Dulang" driverless vehicle is equipped with a multi-sensor fusion perception system, enabling precise recognition of road conditions and obstacles in low-light environments. With a full-load range of 170 kilometers, it is suited for various transfer scenarios and can operate stably for 24 hours.
The successful implementation of the "driverless vehicle + subway" model represents a practical outcome of JD Logistics' extensive experience in large-scale autonomous operations. It also provides a replicable blueprint for upgrading same-city logistics efficiency across the country.
As one of the earliest logistics companies to explore unmanned delivery in China, JD Logistics' "Dulang" driverless vehicle has been upgraded to its sixth-generation Plus version, with thousands of units expected to be delivered this year. Previously, JD Logistics announced plans to procure 1 million driverless vehicles, 100,000 drones, and 3 million robots over the next five years.
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