BUSINESS

Baidu’s Apollo Go Robotaxis Suffer Mass Malfunction on Wuhan Roads

Published: Apr. 2, 2026 12:01 a.m. GMT+8

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An Apollo Go driverless vehicle drives beneath the Wuchang end of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge on Oct. 4, 2025. Photo: VCG

Multiple autonomous taxis operated by Baidu Inc.’s Apollo Go stalled in the middle of roads in Wuhan on Tuesday night, prompting police to intervene.

Wuhan police said they began receiving public reports at 8:57 p.m. that Apollo Go vehicles were blocking roadways. Traffic and transport authorities were sent to the scene along with Apollo Go staff. A police briefing early Wednesday said no one was injured and attributed the fleet-wide disruption to a suspected system failure.

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Multiple Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis stalled in Wuhan on Tuesday night from 8:57 p.m., blocking roads; police intervened, no injuries reported.
Passengers exited vehicles amid traffic; some stranded on expressway, minor collisions occurred; suspected system failure triggered safety stops.
Wuhan has over 1,000 Apollo Go vehicles; incident highlights scaling challenges for driverless fleets.

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Baidu Inc.: Baidu Inc.'s Apollo Go robotaxis stalled on Wuhan roads Tuesday night due to suspected system failure, prompting police intervention. No injuries occurred; passengers were stranded, some on expressways. Wuhan, a key market, has over 1,000 vehicles as of late 2024. Baidu has not detailed the scale or cause.

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