A robotaxi operated by Ant Group-backed Hellobike, one of China’s largest bike-sharing companies, struck two pedestrians in Zhuzhou, a city in central Hunan province, prompting the suspension of its autonomous driving operations, according to China News Service.
The vehicle, identified as robotaxi No. 3009, collided with two people walking along a street on Dec. 6. Videos circulating online show one of the victims trapped beneath the self-driving car. Hellobike is cooperating with local authorities as an investigation gets under way, the Shanghai-based firm’s customer service team told reporters.
So far, Hellobike has not issued an official statement, nor have Zhuzhou authorities released a formal accident report.
Jimu News reported that Zhuzhou traffic police received an emergency call at around 10 a.m. on the day of the incident, with police and ambulance crews dispatched to the site. Staff at Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine confirmed to several media outlets that the two injured individuals were treated there, though they did not disclose details about their conditions.
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