Passengers in Wuhan, China, were left stranded in the middle of busy streets after a large group of autonomous taxis stopped working due to a widespread malfunction.
The incident took place on Tuesday night (31), when more than 100 robotaxis from Apollo Go, operated by Chinese tech company Baidu, unexpectedly stopped in the middle of traffic. Authorities later attributed the disruption to a “system malfunction.”
Videos circulating on social media showed driverless cars standing still on active roads, blocking some lanes and intersections. In one clip, a collision involving a stationary vehicle can be seen. No one was injured, and the occupants were able to exit safely, according to the BBC.
For passengers inside the vehicles, however, the experience was confusing and unsettling. One passenger told Chinese media that his robotaxi stopped shortly after turning a corner, according to the Associated Press.
He said a message appeared on the vehicle’s screen stating: “Driving system malfunction. A team will arrive in 5 minutes.” However, when no one arrived, the passenger pressed an emergency button and was again informed that help was on the way. Later, he managed to open the door and exit the vehicle on his own.
The incident in Wuhan comes as similar issues are being reported with autonomous taxi services around the world. In December, a power outage in San Francisco caused robotaxis operating in the city to disrupt traffic, as the vehicles are unable to function without an internet connection.
Photo: Disclosure. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
