System Failure Halts Baidu’s Apollo Go Robotaxis in Wuhan, Stranding Passengers on Busy Roads

Over 100 self-driving cars immobilized in central China, reigniting safety concerns

A major “system failure” left more than 100 of Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis stranded on busy streets in Wuhan, central China, on Tuesday night, authorities confirmed on Wednesday. Passengers were forced to exit the vehicles safely, with no injuries reported, but some were trapped for nearly two hours amid heavy traffic.

Local police said the outage disrupted traffic and prompted emergency assistance for passengers hesitant to leave the autonomous cars. Video footage circulating on Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese version, shows robotaxis blocking lanes and immobilized in the middle of the road.

Traffic police told reporters that the incident affected a significant number of vehicles and that the cause of the failure remains under investigation. Baidu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The outage has reignited public debate over the safety of China’s rapidly expanding robotaxi services. Earlier incidents include an Apollo Go vehicle falling into a construction pit in Chongqing last August and a Pony.ai car catching fire in Beijing in May. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in those events.