Chinese bike-sharing company Hellobike has temporarily suspended its robotaxi operations in the central Chinese city of Zhuzhou following a collision involving pedestrians, local authorities said.
Hellobike’s robotaxi service in Zhuzhou, located in Hunan province, has been halted with no timetable for resumption, authorities told the Southern Metropolis Daily in a report published on Monday. The suspension follows an incident on December 6, when a Hellobike autonomous vehicle collided with two pedestrians on a city street, triggering widespread discussion on Chinese social media platforms.
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The company is investigating the incident, Hellobike told the Southern Metropolis Daily. While the autonomous driving option remains visible on the Hellobike app when users select Zhuzhou, the system currently displays “Out of Service Area” when attempting to choose a pickup location, the report said.
Hellobike is a relatively late entrant to China’s robotaxi sector. The company formally announced its move into autonomous driving in June, when it co-founded a venture with fintech giant Ant Group and battery maker CATL to focus on research and development of Level 4 autonomous driving technology.
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The Shanghai-headquartered venture received more than 3 billion yuan ($426 million) in initial funding from its three backers, Hellobike said at the time. In September, the company also announced a strategic investment in its robotaxi business from Alibaba.
Hellobike has unveiled its first mass-produced robotaxi model, the HR1 (Hello Robot1), and has said it plans to deploy more than 50,000 robotaxis by 2027. The company has launched commercial robotaxi operations in Zhuzhou and Liyang in Jiangsu province, while conducting testing in cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changzhou, and Changsha.
