Baidu Apollo Go Robotaxis Stall Across Wuhan in Major System Failure

China: Multiple Baidu Apollo Go autonomous robotaxis suddenly halted in the middle of roads across Wuhan late Tuesday, stranding passengers and disrupting traffic due to what local police described as a “system failure.

“Authorities in the central Chinese city began receiving a flood of reports around Tuesday night as the driverless vehicles stopped operating without warning, leaving some passengers trapped inside for over an hour. Police worked with Baidu staff to resolve the issue, confirming that passengers were able to exit safely with no reported injuries.

Videos circulating on social media showed the white, sensor-equipped robotaxis stationary under overpasses and on busy roads, their lights flashing as other vehicles navigated around them. At least 100 vehicles were reportedly affected, according to a traffic police officer cited by Chinese media.

Baidu’s Apollo Go service, one of China’s largest commercial robotaxi fleets, has operated hundreds of fully driverless vehicles in Wuhan since 2022. The company has expanded aggressively, charging fares in designated areas across several cities, but incidents like this have reignited concerns about the reliability and safety of autonomous technology at scale.

Wuhan police said in a statement that a preliminary assessment pointed to a system fault. Baidu has not yet issued a public comment on the outage.

The event comes amid rapid growth in China’s self-driving sector, where robotaxis are increasingly competing with traditional ride-hailing services. Passengers on Chinese social platforms expressed frustration, with some reporting unresponsive emergency buttons and having to manually force doors open.

This is the latest in a series of challenges for autonomous vehicle operators worldwide, highlighting ongoing technical hurdles even as companies push for wider deployment.