China freezes robotaxi permits after Baidu’s massive Wuhan outage
China has reportedly suspended the issuance of new permits for autonomous vehicles following a technical disruption involving Baidu’s robotaxi service.
The move comes after robotaxis operated by Baidu’s Apollo Go service unexpectedly stopped operating in Wuhan last month, prompting a local investigation into the incident. The outage has raised concerns among regulators about the safety and reliability of self-driving systems currently being tested on public roads, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Under the suspension, companies will not be allowed to expand their autonomous vehicle fleets, launch new pilot programs, or introduce services in additional cities while the review process continues.
Authorities in Wuhan have also reportedly paused Baidu’s robotaxi operations as part of the ongoing investigation.
The decision signals increased regulatory caution in China’s rapidly developing autonomous driving sector, which has seen major investments from tech firms such as Baidu and competitors like Pony.ai and WeRide. Despite the suspension, both companies said their existing services continue to operate normally in major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Earlier in April, Chinese regulators reportedly instructed local authorities to conduct safety inspections and strengthen oversight of intelligent connected vehicle testing on public roads.
Industry regulators and government ministries have not publicly commented on the reported suspension, and Baidu has also not issued an official response.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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