SHANGHAI: Chinese robotaxi operator Pony.ai said on Wednesday (May 14) that one of its cars caught fire while being handled by service staff after a system malfunction, but that no passengers were onboard.

The vehicle was operating without a human driver on the road on Tuesday morning when it showed an "abnormal status", prompting the vehicle's safety protection mechanism to initiate an emergency stop, Pony.ai said.

"No collision occurred and no one was injured. Service personnel arrived at the scene within two minutes upon receiving the alert. During the handling process, the vehicle caught fire," it said in a statement.