China’s first major robotaxi crash leaves two pedestrians in intensive care

According to witness accounts and videos shared on Weibo, the self-driving vehicle struck two pedestrians on the morning of Dec. 6. One victim was trapped beneath the vehicle, while another was injured nearby. Footage shared online shows the trapped victim wearing a helmet and bleeding from the face as bystanders attempted to lift the vehicle to free them, CarNewsChina reported.

Local authorities said the accident occurred as the autonomous vehicle was traveling southbound shortly after passing a pedestrian crosswalk. Emergency services arrived promptly, and both victims, a man and a woman, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

One of the two victims lying behind the autonomous vehicle operated by China's robotaxi service Hello. Photo from Weibo

While Hello introduced its self-developed Level 4 autonomous "HR1" vehicle in September, the vehicle involved in the crash is reported to be a Baidu Apollo RT6 model. Baidu, one of China’s leading autonomous driving companies, currently operates about 1,000 "Apollo Go" robotaxis across 11 cities.

Hello has suspended its robotaxi services following the accident. Industry experts have described the incident as "the first major accident in the history of robotaxi operations in China," according to the Chosun Daily.

Authorities have reportedly asked all robotaxi operators to submit reports detailing their accident response measures and emergency procedures. "Even if Hello is the direct party involved, the government is applying the same standards to all companies," an industry insider told Caixin newspaper, adding that "supervision criteria are likely to become more stringent."

Hello, an Alibaba-affiliated company best known for its bike-sharing platform, has expanded into ride-hailing and autonomous vehicles. Just days before the crash, the company announced plans to begin small-batch deliveries of its L4 autonomous vehicle by March 2026, ahead of mass production in June. Co-founder Yu Qiankun said the company aims to deploy more than 50,000 robotaxis by 2027.