On Wednesday, the Wuhan Municipal Public Security Bureau’s Traffic Management Bureau issued a police report stating that beginning at 20:57 on March 31, multiple Apollo Go autonomous taxis suddenly came to a halt on major roads and elevated expressways in Wuhan, causing widespread traffic congestion.
Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported. A preliminary investigation indicates that the incident was caused by a system malfunction.
Apollo Go in Wuhan
According to on-site witnesses and passenger reports, when the malfunction occurred, nearly dozens of Apollo Go vehicles came to a complete standstill in the middle of the road. Some vehicles occupied fast lanes or stopped in the center of elevated roads, with hazard lights flashing but unable to move.
Several passengers were trapped inside the vehicles, with the longest wait time reaching nearly two hours. During this period, the in-car SOS buttons failed, customer service hotlines were busy, and some passengers had to call the police for help. The stalled vehicles led to multiple rear-end collisions, further worsening traffic conditions.
