Chinese regulators have halted all new autonomous vehicle permit issuance after more than 100 Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis simultaneously froze on Wuhan roads on March 31, stranding passengers for up to two hours with non-functional SOS buttons and disconnected customer service lines. The suspension blocks self-driving companies from adding vehicles to existing fleets, launching new pilot programs, or expanding into new cities; Pony.ai and WeRide shares fell 5.5% and 4.7% despite both confirming their own fleets are unaffected. Baidu's Wuhan service remains suspended, an active investigation is ongoing, and a regulatory decision is not expected before end of May.