Baidu’s Robotaxis Stage Midday Protest by Freezing on Wuhan Roads
KEY POINTS
- •On Tuesday, Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis malfunctioned and froze on Wuhan's streets, causing traffic chaos.
- •Passengers were trapped inside the robot-driven taxis while highways snarled and at least one crash occurred.
- •Police confirmed multiple reports and determined the cause as an unspecified system failure but reported no injuries.
On a fine Tuesday in Wuhan, China, Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis decided to put on a very inconvenient show by freezing mid-drive, trapping passengers inside like unwilling contestants on a bizarre roadblock reality show. The tech giant’s 'system failure'—which sounds as vague as a bad weather excuse—made dozens of robotaxis come to a screeching halt right in traffic, resulting in crashes and mass confusion. Police confirmed they received multiple reports but cheerfully noted 'no injuries'—because apparently even robotic cars know when to be polite. Bloomberg’s Getty images caught these unmoving metal chauffeurs posing for photos rather than shuttling passengers. The takeaway? Autonomy works great, until it’s just a glorified traffic jam with a robot chauffeur who forgot to bring a map or a brain.
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(1 of 3)Baidu’s robotaxis froze in Wuhan and trapped passengers like overnight guests nobody invited; at least they didn’t require snacks or Wi-Fi.
If Baidu’s robotaxis learn anything from this meltdown, hopefully it’s not to stop dead in broad daylight ever again.
Nothing says cutting-edge tech like being frozen in place while your GPS actively refuses to help.
Source: Theverge | Published: 4/1/2026 | Author: Robert Hart
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