(Yicai) Dec. 11 -- A robotaxi operated by Ant Group-backed Hellobike, one of China's largest bike-sharing firms, has struck two people walking along a street in Zhuzhou in central Hunan province. Hellobike is cooperating with relevant authorities in their investigation, according and operations have been suspended, China News Service reported, citing the Shanghai-based firm's customer service.

A Hellobike robotaxi with the number 3009 hit two pedestrians on Dec. 6, with one of the victims getting trapped under the self-driving car, according to multiple videos circulating online.

However, Hellobike has not issued a statement yet, nor have local authorities released an accident report.

According to Jimu News, Zhuzhou's traffic police department confirmed it received an emergency call around 10 a.m. on Dec. 6, with police and ambulances dispatched to the scene. In addition, workers at Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine told multiple media outlets that the two injured people were treated at the hospital, without providing details on their condition.

The accident is likely the first involving a serious injury within China's autonomous vehicle market, industry insiders noted.

Robotaxi pilot operators must purchase compulsory traffic insurance and traffic accident liability insurance of no less than CNY5 million (USD687,000) per vehicle, according to the Notice on Launching Pilot Work for Intelligent Connected Vehicle Access and Road Traffic issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Transport.

Hellobike must fulfill its primary safety responsibilities and bear civil liability first as the operator of the involved vehicle, regardless of whether the accident was caused by system failure, algorithm misjudgment, or management oversight, Time Magazine reported, citing He Huan, a lawyer at Beijing Lantai Law Firm.

Hellobike began trial operations of robotaxis in Zhuzhou in August, with its local head saying that the company has configured a remote monitoring system, with drivers at its cloud cabin center able to take over at any time. Only 20 to 30 of its cars are in daily trial operations, scattered across permitted road sections.

Hellobike's robotaxis have accumulated over 70,000 kilometers as of August, with no accidents before.

In June, Hellobike, Ant Group, and battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology jointly set up Shanghai Zaofu Intelligent Technology. Its first Level 4 mass-produced model, the HR1, was released in September, planning to deploy over 50,000 units across more than 10 Chinese cities by 2027.

In recent years, accidents with autonomous vehicles have occurred more often due to the expansion of relevant fleets, with one auto of Baidu's Apollo Go striking jaywalking pedestrians in Wuhan, while another fell into a construction ditch in Chongqing. In addition, several of Pony.ai's robotaxis have caught fire. 

Overseas, US's Cruise had one of its vehicles drag a pedestrian more than six meters in San Francisco, with the victim luckily surviving, while other of its cars have collided with fire trucks or blocked ambulances. Tesla's robotaxis have had minor collisions with parked autos in Austin.

Editor: Martin Kadiev