Apollo Go Robotaxi Malfunction Causes Highway Crashes in Wuhan, Traps Passengers

Baidu's Self-Driving Taxis Freeze on Wuhan Roads

On April 1, dozens of Apollo Go autonomous taxis operated by Baidu came to an abrupt halt in the middle of active traffic across the Chinese city of Wuhan. The sudden stoppage triggered multiple collisions and left passengers locked inside the vehicles — some for more than an hour.

Journalist Zeyi Yang reported the incident on social media:

"Dozens of robotaxis by Baidu stopped on the road in Wuhan, causing crashes on highways and trapping passengers in the cars — some for more than an hour. One passenger told me it took her 30 minutes to even connect to a customer representative." — Zeyi Yang (@ZeyiYang), original post

Why This Matters

The Wuhan incident represents one of the largest simultaneous failures of a commercial robotaxi fleet. Wuhan is Apollo Go's biggest operational hub, with more than 1,000 autonomous vehicles deployed across the city. A mass stoppage of self-driving cars in live traffic raises fundamental questions about the reliability of autonomous systems and the adequacy of emergency protocols.

The event casts a shadow over the broader autonomous vehicle industry during a period of aggressive expansion. Baidu has been investing heavily in Apollo Go, mirroring the strategy of Alphabet, which owns Waymo. Both companies have emerged as leaders in the rapidly growing sector.

Authorities Confirm System Failure

Local traffic police confirmed the incident, stating that multiple vehicles came to a stop directly on roadways. Preliminary findings point to a system malfunction as the root cause. An investigation is being conducted jointly by authorities and Apollo Go personnel.

Passengers were eventually able to safely exit the vehicles. However, one passenger reported waiting approximately 30 minutes before reaching a customer service representative — an unacceptably long response time during a roadside emergency.

Apollo Go's Market Position

Apollo Go currently offers commercial rides in several major Chinese cities, including all of Wuhan and suburban areas around Beijing. In total, the service operates or conducts testing across 26 cities worldwide. During Q4 2025, the platform completed 3.4 million rides.

Internationally, Apollo Go has partnerships with Uber and Lyft. Domestically, however, it faces fierce competition from Chinese autonomous vehicle developers such as WeRide and Pony.ai. In the United States, Tesla under Elon Musk has become a major player in the self-driving taxi market.

Such incidents are not entirely unprecedented in the industry. In December, Waymo vehicles became stuck on city streets due to a power outage. Yet the scale of the Wuhan malfunction — affecting dozens of vehicles simultaneously — stands out and could influence regulatory approaches to autonomous transportation in China going forward.