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Autonomous Vehicles · Baidu · Robotaxi · Wuhan
Chinese internet giant Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis experienced a system malfunction in Wuhan, Hubei province, stranding passengers and halting multiple vehicles on Tuesday night, prompting police intervention and raising questions about the service's reliability.
Apollo Go, Baidu's driverless taxi service, has been operational and charging for rides in Beijing since 2021, expanding to designated areas across several cities. Police reported receiving numerous calls about the stalled vehicles, with preliminary findings attributing the cause to a system malfunction, though the exact number of affected cars remains unspecified.
Social media users documented their experiences, including one passenger stuck for over 30 minutes while attempting to contact customer service. Baidu, which aims to expand its presence globally through partnerships with rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber, reported 3.4 million driverless rides in Q4 2025, marking a 200 percent increase year-over-year, and maintains a fleet of over 500 driverless cars in Wuhan.
