It’s unclear how many vehicles were affected, but police said a preliminary assessment indicates that the problem was due to a system fault. Passengers were able to exit the cars safely and no one was hurt.
Baidu didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Apollo Go is the largest robotaxi provider in China, with hundreds of vehicles in more than a dozen cities, and is ramping up an international expansion.
The system malfunction marks a rare incident of this scale for China’s growing robotaxi industry, but likely adds to scrutiny facing the sector globally as more cities roll out driverless cars.
Late last year, a number of Alphabet Inc’s Waymo robotaxis stalled mid-ride due to a power outage in San Francisco, stranding passengers in cars.
