Wuhan’s robotaxi push is pushing out ride-hailing drivers

Chinese tech hub’s shift into robotaxis leaves drivers by the wayside

FT reports that Wuhan’s mass deployment of robotaxis has halved ride-hailing driver incomes. Baidu’s Apollo Go runs over 1,000 driverless cars in the city, with daily peak orders exceeding 200,000 and per-km pricing undercutting Didi’s regular rides. Drivers interviewed say monthly earnings dropped from ¥8,000 to ¥3,000–4,000. The article doesn’t give a citywide unemployment figure, but it quotes multiple drivers who are quitting or selling their cars. This is FT field reporting, not an industry PR piece—just keep in mind the sample is Wuhan-specific.

Why it matters: FT's Wuhan field report delivers concrete deployment and income-impact numbers, hitting all three HKR axes. Score capped below 85 because it's a single-city sample without citywide unemployment data, and the piece is a socio-economic report rather than a tech or product update.