Chinese language robotaxis are as a consequence of be on the streets of London subsequent yr after the US ride-hailing firms Lyft and Uber introduced tie-ups with Beijing-based Baidu to deploy its self-driving expertise.
Lyft is the third agency to announce plans to introduce self-driving taxis to the UK capital subsequent yr, after Uber and Waymo, the principle operator of robotaxis within the US.
Its ride-hailing companies are the foremost rival to Uber’s within the US and Canada, and this yr Lyft expanded into Europe after buying the Freenow app in the summertime.
Whereas Uber had signed a deal to work with Baidu in the summertime in different world markets, it had not till now mentioned that the Chinese language tech firm’s Apollo Go vehicles have been deliberate for London. It had beforehand introduced its companies could be operated with self-driving expertise from the UK-US agency Wayve.
Lyft mentioned it deliberate to start out assessments with dozens of self-driving Apollo Go vehicles in London in 2026.
David Risher, the chief government of Lyft, mentioned its imaginative and prescient was for a “hybrid community” of autonomous autos and human drivers “working collectively to serve London’s various transportation wants now and past – from late-night journeys residence to Heathrow rides, to early commutes throughout city, and every thing in between”.
He mentioned the corporate was dedicated to working intently with Transport for London and native authorities “to make sure these autos improve London’s transportation ecosystem”.
Uber, in the meantime, swiftly introduced on X its personal plans to make use of Baidu’s autonomous autos in London. It mentioned: “Testing is anticipated to start out within the first half of 2026, underneath the UK’s frontier plan to start trials for self-driving autos. We’re excited to speed up Britain’s management in the way forward for mobility, bringing one other protected and dependable journey choice to Londoners subsequent yr.”
An Uber spokesperson confirmed the Baidu trials could be along with these with Wayve.
Baidu’s Apollo Go is Asia’s chief in autonomous ride-hailing, working in 22 cities and offering about 250,000 totally driverless rides every week. Uber mentioned that Baidu’s RT6 electrical autos have been purpose-built for rideshare and “targeted on giving individuals a dependable, excessive consolation journey”.
Information that the Chinese language expertise firm may be the driving drive behind London’s autonomous trials subsequent yr might heighten safety issues in some quarters, after warnings that even regular electrical autos could possibly be used for spying functions.
The race to convey robotaxis to London has been pushed by the UK authorities, which is trying to go legal guidelines to swiftly open up Britain as a European frontrunner in driverless expertise.
The announcement by Waymo in October fuelled explicit curiosity, with the corporate’s robotaxis now effectively established in San Francisco and increasing to different US cities together with Austin, Texas.
A serious energy outage in San Francisco this weekend led to site visitors jams attributable to stationary Waymo autos, including recent issues to official scrutiny of the reliability of the expertise.
