China resumes granting licences for robotaxi services

China has resumed granting licences for robotaxi services after a regulatory pause that began last April, prompted by a safety review that affected the entire sector. The government took action following an incident on the night of 31 March 2026 in Wuhan, a city of more than 13 million inhabitants, in which dozens of Apollo Go autonomous vehicles, a subsidiary of Baidu, came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road.

Different reports on that incident give contradictory figures: some indicate that only a few dozen vehicles were stopped, while others suggest that the robotaxis affected numbered more than two hundred. The subsequent investigation found that the cause of the situation was a system failure that triggered an automatic safety protocol in response to unforeseen circumstances.

The freeze on new authorisations remained in place until the end of June, when the authorities concluded their review. Since then, a gradual and selective reopening has been observed. Recent reports indicate that regulators have begun issuing permits again in certain cities. Momenta, a specialist in autonomous driving, is among the first companies with robotaxi services to benefit: on 21 July it announced that it had obtained a permit for connected vehicle testing in Shenzhen. With this permit, the company adds the city to its existing test bases in Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuxi.

Everything is gradually returning to normal

It should be noted that Shenzhen has also updated its local regulations on intelligent connected vehicles. The aim is to explore opening the whole city to robotaxi operations and to lower barriers to market entry. At the same time, Baidu’s Apollo Go shows signs of recovery in Wuhan. During the review carried out in recent months, hundreds of units were withdrawn, but since early July they have been seen back on the streets, some still accompanied by safety drivers.

The resumption of robotaxi licensing marks the end of the regulatory pause and opens the door to a gradual reactivation of the sector. The authorities now prioritise a controlled return, combining the resumption of suspended services with the entry of new operators in various cities across the country.