BeijingReuters —
A robotaxis involving multiple vehicles operated by Baidu’s Apollo Go in the central Chinese city of Wuhan has been shut down due to a “system failure,” local police said Wednesday, reigniting safety concerns about the fast-growing service.
According to an official statement, police received a report late Tuesday that a number of Apollo Go vehicles were stopped and stuck in the middle of the road.
Police said passengers were able to exit the vehicle safely and no one was injured. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.
At least 100 ApolloGo vehicles were affected, traffic police said in a video published by Shanghai-based news agency The Paper. The officer added that although the vehicle’s door could be opened, some passengers were reluctant to get out due to the heavy traffic and asked police for help.
A video reviewed by Reuters and posted on TikTok’s Chinese version, Douyin, showed a vehicle stuck on a busy road, blocking traffic.
Local media reported that some passengers were trapped inside the vehicle for nearly two hours.
Baidu did not respond to a request for comment.
The accident sparked a new debate on Chinese social media about robotaxi safety and readiness.
In August, an Apollo Go robot taxi carrying passengers crashed into a construction site in Chongqing, and in May a vehicle operated by Pony.ai burst into flames on a Beijing road. No injuries were reported in either incident.
Waymo’s robotaxis stalled during San Francisco’s massive power outage late last year, causing traffic chaos.
Baidu is one of China’s largest self-driving fleet operators, along with Pony.ai and WeRide. The two companies operate commercial robotaxis services in major cities in China and are expanding into overseas markets, including the Middle East.
