A major technical failure brought robotaxis operated by Baidu to a sudden halt, leaving passengers stranded and disrupting traffic across the city. The incident has renewed global concerns over the reliability of autonomous vehicles.
Robotaxis run by Baidu’s Apollo Go service reportedly stalled across Wuhan, with some passengers trapped inside vehicles for up to two hours.
Multiple media reports, along with viral videos and social media posts, showed vehicles frozen mid-journey, unable to move.
Local authorities confirmed that the disruption was caused by a “system failure.” According to Reuters, the outage impacted at least 100 robotaxis operating in the city.
The exact cause of the technical issue remains unknown, and police have launched an investigation into the matter.
Vehicles stopped in risky locations
Reports suggest that several robotaxis halted in potentially dangerous areas, including fast-moving traffic lanes.
Around 100 Baidu robotaxis stall across roads in Wuhan after system failure, causing traffic chaos.
— Global Affairs 24 (@GlobalAffair24) April 1, 2026
Passengers exit safely as police respond.pic.twitter.com/S3sbSoV6Zg
According to Wired, the sudden freeze raised immediate safety concerns for both passengers and other road users.
Baidu has not yet issued an official response to media inquiries regarding the incident.
Baidu’s expanding robotaxi ambitions
Baidu is among China’s largest players in the autonomous vehicle sector and has been rapidly expanding its footprint.
The company previously announced plans to deploy more than 1,000 autonomous vehicles in Dubai over the coming years, signaling its ambitions beyond China.
The Wuhan incident adds to a growing list of disruptions involving autonomous vehicles worldwide.
In December last year, a major power outage in California caused traffic signals to fail, leaving robotaxis operated by Waymo stranded on roads.
Such incidents are intensifying scrutiny over the safety, reliability, and real-world readiness of driverless transport systems.
