Baidu’s robotaxi operations in Wuhan have been suspended, sources tell the publication.

China has suspended issuing new licences for level-four autonomous vehicles (AV) after more than 100 Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis abruptly stopped in Wuhan in late March, Bloomberg news reported. Level-four AVs do not require humans involvement to drive.

The suspension will prevent AV companies from adding new robotaxis to their fleet or expanding to new cities. It is unclear how long the suspension will last, sources told the publication.

Meanwhile, Baidu’s robotaxi operations in Wuhan have also been suspended while authorities investigate the incident.

The incident caused traffic disruptions and highway collisions, trapping passengers on the streets of Wuhan. Videos on social media show Baidu AVs lined up on the road, unmoving.

“Upon investigation, preliminary findings suggest system malfunctions as the cause of the incident”, read a translated statement from the Wuhan local traffic police department.

Apollo Go is the largest robotaxi provider in China, with several hundred vehicles in more than a dozen cities in the country.

Rival AV company Pony AI told Bloomberg that its services in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are currently operating normally, with expansion plans progressing as planned. WeRide also said that its services in China are operating normally.

Baidu’s shares are down nearly 2pc, while Pony AI is down more than 3pc, WeRide is down by roughly 4.2pc and BYD is down by around 2.2pc.

Sources told publication that the Apollo Go incident led to a high-level meeting between agencies this month involving the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, with regulators calling for local governments to conduct a full self-review and improve safety monitoring to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In 2024, Wuhan residents protested against Apollo Go’s deployment in the city, fearing job losses. In response, regulators paused AV approvals for several months before resuming in early 2025.

Meanwhile, a massive power outage in San Francisco in December led to a disruption to Waymo services in the city. During the incident, California residents reported spotting Waymo vehicles stalled on the streets, adding on to the gridlock.

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