Baidu Apollo Go Robotaxis Stopped in Traffic During Reported System Failure in Wuhan, Stranding Some Passengers

On March 31, 2026, multiple Baidu Apollo Go self-driving taxis experienced a simultaneous system malfunction in Wuhan, China, causing the vehicles to stop operating and become stranded in traffic lanes, including busy highways and fast lanes. The incident began around 8:57 PM local time when passengers and other drivers reported numerous robotaxis frozen in place across the city. A college student identified as He was trapped with two friends for approximately 90 minutes after their robotaxi malfunctioned and stopped four or five times before parking in front of an intersection. The vehicle's display instructed passengers to remain seated and wait for company representatives to arrive 'in five minutes,' but no staff came and it took 30 minutes to reach customer support by phone. Multiple passengers reported being unable to reach Baidu's customer support, with SOS buttons showing as unavailable. One dashcam recording showed 16 Apollo Go vehicles parked on roads over a 90-minute period. The malfunction caused at least three traffic collisions, including one where a driver hit a stopped robotaxi at over 40 mph, completely tearing off his vehicle's front-right fender. Police confirmed the incident was likely caused by a system malfunction, with all passengers safely exiting and no injuries reported. Baidu operates hundreds of robotaxis in Wuhan and has completed 20 million rides covering over 300 million kilometers globally.