WeRide Corp ADR (NASDAQ:WRD) saw its stock rise 3.7% in premarket trading Friday after the autonomous vehicle company revealed that its Robobus has received Belgium’s first federal test permit for a Level 4 autonomous shuttle.
The permit authorizes the Robobus to conduct tests on public roads along an 8-kilometer loop in Leuven-Heverlee, featuring nine stops. With this approval, WeRide becomes the only autonomous driving technology firm in the world with permits across seven countries: Belgium, China, France, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the U.S.
For the testing phase, WeRide will collaborate with Flemish public transport operator De Lijn, the City of Leuven, and mobility consultancy Espaces-Mobilités. Once the Flemish authorities give the green light, the Robobus will start public road testing in the coming weeks, initially with a safety operator onboard.
After testing, De Lijn plans to run a pilot autonomous shuttle service on the same route from mid-November to January 2026, marking Belgium’s first commercial operation of autonomous vehicles in mixed traffic.
“As an AV company, our goal is always to achieve safe Level 4 fully driverless operations. This test permit is an important step on that journey,” said Jennifer Li, CFO and Head of International of WeRide.
The announcement follows WeRide’s recent European expansion, including the launch of its first Robotaxis in Furttal, Switzerland last month, and the receipt of France’s Level 4 driverless public road testing permit in March.
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