Bolt Delivery Robot Runs Red Light in Tallinn, Injuring Nine

A autonomous delivery robot operated for Bolt crossed a pedestrian crossing on a red light in central Tallinn on Monday, 26 October, forcing a city bus to brake sharply. Nine passengers who were standing fell and were injured, according to the municipal transport company TLT.

Video from the bus shows the robot being pushed along the road before it continues on its way. TLT executive Andrei Novikov told local broadcaster ERR that the robot "ran away, so to speak", while a spokesperson said leaving the scene without complying with the law "may constitute a crime". Estonian police are now investigating.

Starship disputes the "hit and run"

Pepe Aaviksoo, head of operations at Starship, the company that builds the robots, said it was dark and an illuminated advertisement behind the signal made it hard for the robot to read the pedestrian light. The pedestrian and car signals also sat in the same line of sight. He acknowledged a weakness in the robot's light sensitivity and said exceptional situations happen.

Starship rejects the idea of a getaway. Aaviksoo said the robot waited about 10 minutes nearby and alerted the support team that it needed to be moved off the road. In his view the situation was clear, since the bus left the scene, and he said staff saw neither police nor medics.

Who pays when nobody is driving?

The case highlights gaps in European rules. The EU's new product liability directive treats software and AI as products, but it applies only to products placed on the market from 9 December 2026, so robots already on the streets remain under a 1985 regime. The Commission also withdrew the AI liability directive, which MEP Axel Voss called a "strategic mistake".

Criminal law is left to member states. Since 2017, Estonian traffic law has covered delivery robots and treats their holder as a driver. A delivery platform owning the robot would be responsible and must carry liability insurance; if the manufacturer owns it and leases it out, responsibility falls on the manufacturer.

The incident comes as deployments grow. Starship announced in June more than 10 million deliveries and over 3,000 robots across 300 locations in eight countries, and Uber Eats uses them in Leeds with more European countries planned for 2026.