Baidu’s driverless ride-hailing service “Radish Rush” is aggressively entering the traditional taxi market with prices comparable to public transportation such as buses and subways. However, recent street strikes by “Radish Rush” have led to increased congestion and challenges for traffic police, causing public concern.
“Radish Rush” has deployed over 400 driverless ride-hailing vehicles in Wuhan, sparking ongoing controversies surrounding this type of service.
On July 11, driverless vehicles of “Radish Rush” went on strike on the streets, causing local traffic congestion and drawing attention from the public.
According to Jiaodian Video, in Wuhan streets, several “Radish Rush” driverless vehicles were blocking the road, preventing buses from moving, leading to traffic congestion where pedestrians and cyclists had to navigate through the chaos.
Multiple traffic police officers were at the scene trying to manage the traffic flow while dozens of onlookers gathered on the sidewalk.
On July 12, the staff of “Radish Rush” responded by stating that incidents like these can be reported to them with vehicle information, and the company will promptly address the issues while continuously enhancing vehicle technology.
On July 7, a video circulated on a short video platform in Wuhan showed a “Radish Rush” vehicle colliding with a pedestrian on the street. The video depicted a pedestrian lying in front of the vehicle, with traffic police present as the incident caused a blockage.
Baidu responded on July 8, stating that the accident occurred when the vehicle collided with a pedestrian who ran a red light just as the green light lit up. The injured pedestrian was taken to the hospital for examination.
Another video showed two taxi vehicles parked perpendicularly at an intersection, causing a traffic jam with a long line of cars behind them.
One traffic police officer stood helplessly in front of one car, clueless about how to resolve the situation, while another officer pondered at the tail lights, unsure of the next step.
The video uploader captioned the scene: “Two ‘Radish Rush’ vehicles in Wuhan stuck together, refusing to give way, causing traffic congestion. The police are clueless about what to do because there are no drivers in the vehicles…”
As the vehicles finally moved, neither yielded to the other. Passersby chuckled at the situation.
The related videos sparked lively discussions among netizens:
“So many issues already… Was there no testing?” “A strike in a traffic section is one thing, but if it catches fire and passengers can’t open the doors, it would be tragic.” “The road I usually take home is usually clear, but it ended up being jammed. Luckily, I rode a Meituan bike back. The drivers behind me were honking like crazy, which amused me.”
However, a circulated video showed that so-called driverless vehicles of “Radish Rush” weren’t truly driverless. Instead, drivers were relocated from the cars to control rooms, where staff remotely operated the vehicles already on the road.
Currently, “Radish Rush” driverless ride-hailing service is being tested and operated in 11 cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Changsha, Cangzhou, Yangquan, Wuzhen, with significant operations primarily in the central districts of Wuhan.
Taxi and ride-hailing drivers in Wuhan have voiced strong opposition to “Radish Rush,” fearing replacement by these driverless vehicles and facing unemployment risks and income challenges, seeing it as another exploitation by capital.
In June, an open letter purportedly from Wuhan Transportation Company pointed out significant operational pressures, especially with the rise of driverless ride-hailing services, terming it as “technology monopolizing resources and snatching the livelihoods of grassroots people.”
The open letter suggested limiting the driverless vehicles of “Radish Rush” to specific zones rather than globally accepting orders.
Complaints on Wuhan’s city message board in May described instances where “Radish Rush” vehicles stopped at green lights, rode into the middle of red lights, or got stuck while turning, particularly leading to congestion during peak hours.
While “Radish Rush” faced backlash, the topic of “Radish Rush’s price comparable to buses” trended on Weibo.
A report on July 12 by “China News Weekly” stated that “Radish Rush” is becoming a must-visit attraction for tourists in Wuhan, experiencing a surge in orders due to ultra-low prices and a novel experience.
Liu Shuang, a resident of Wuhan’s Hanyang district, has become a frequent user of “Radish Rush.” In the past month alone, she tried “Radish Rush” nearly ten times.
Liu primarily uses “Radish Rush” to take her children to and from tutoring classes. The distance from her home to the classes is under 5 kilometers. If she uses Didi, the cost is around 11 to 15 yuan.
Liu mentioned: “But with ‘Radish Rush,’ it doesn’t exceed 6 yuan, and I even caught a discount last time, costing me only 2.5 yuan, comparable to taking a bus.”
The report highlighted that Liu was satisfied not only with the price but also with the ride experience of “Radish Rush.” Ordering “Radish Rush” is similar to using ride-hailing services, where passengers place orders via mini-programs or apps.
Upon vehicle arrival, passengers cannot directly open the door but must enter the last four digits of their phone number on a small screen near the back door to unlock it.
Passengers can only sit in the back seat of “Radish Rush,” with a maximum occupancy of three people. Once onboard, passengers are prompted to fasten their seat belts, and if ignored, the vehicle won’t start. Passengers also need to confirm the start of the trip on the screen; otherwise, “Radish Rush” remains stationary.
Regarding the low prices of “Radish Rush,” netizens have been actively discussing:
“Low prices are good for ordinary consumers but bad for thousands of drivers.”
“About to add 20 million unemployed people.”
“The same routine – start with low subsidies to dominate the market and attract users, then raise prices later. It’s not really innovative.”
“Now the low prices are due to subsidies to capture the market. Once they have dominance, the subsidies will disappear.”
“Capital is exploiting us, just that they haven’t gotten to some people yet. The wealth gap will continue to widen, leading to further declines in consumer spending.”
“The pattern is the same – subsidies first, then price hikes. During the initial stage of popularizing ride-hailing, it’s cheaper than public transport due to subsidies.”
According to Baidu’s first-quarter financial report, the ratio of all driverless orders exceeded 55%, rising to 70% in April, with expectations of rapid growth to reach 100% in the next few quarters.
As per Baidu’s latest quarterly report, as of April 19, “Radish Rush” had served over 6 million orders. In the first quarter, they provided ride services approximately 826,000 times, marking a 25% year-on-year increase.