A glitch stopped multiple Baidu robotaxis on a motorway. Photo / Byron_Wan
A glitch stopped multiple Baidu robotaxis on a motorway. Photo / Byron_Wan
Dozens of driverless robotaxis broke down on a busy motorway in China after a technical glitch, leaving passengers stuck and unable to safely exit.
At least 100 automated taxis stalled in fast-moving traffic in Wuhan causing chaos with the cars blocking traffic after a “system failure” on Wednesday (local time),Reuters reported.
Some passengers remained in their cars for nearly two hours while they waited for help.
“I tried every way I could think of to call for help using the options the app showed, but the phone line wouldn’t go through,” one passenger said, the Sun reported.
“When I pressed the SOS button, it told me it was unavailable.
Some passengers remained in their Baidu robotaxis for nearly two hours while they waited for help. Photo / Byron_Wan
A video verified by Reuters was posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, showing vehicles stopped on a highway, blocking traffic.
The vehicles were travelling normally when they abruptly stopped and displayed a message on screen: “Driving system malfunction. Staff are expected to arrive in 5 minutes.”
The Daily Mail reported the cars had stalled on a major road that operates without traffic lights – a design intended to keep traffic moving at speed.
Car doors could open but the people inside were too scared to get out because of speeding traffic and called the cops for assistance, a police officer told the Paper, a Shanghai-based newspaper.
The robotaxis are operated by Chinese technology company Baidu, which uses artificial intelligence to control the vehicles without a human driver.
Passengers did not feel safe to leave the cars on the busy motorway. Photo / Byron_Wan
Baidu operates more than 1000 robotaxis, mostly in China. The company has not commented on the incident.
A Baidu taxi fell into a construction site in Chongqing in August 2025 with a passenger inside.
