A FLEET of more than 500 Apollo Go driverless taxis operated by Baidu's autonomous-driving unit in Wuhan has become so popular that local taxi drivers are petitioning the municipal transport authority to limit their use, reports Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.
A letter sent in late June by Wuhan Jianshe Automotive Passenger Transportation, a local operator, said four of its 159 taxis had quit since April due to declining income, according to a report by the Southern Weekly newspaper. The company accused robotaxis of "taking jobs from the grass roots".
Baidu did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company said in May that it reported to the police several cases related to the spreading of misinformation about Apollo Go on social media, and more than 10 suspects were arrested.