Chinese technology giant, Baidu, has announced its plans to launch robotaxis in London in the coming year via its partnership arrangements with Lyft and Uber as the UK becomes an increasingly influential autonomous vehicle battleground.
The proclaimed partnerships will carry Baidu Apollo Go autonomous cars to the British capital through the Uber and Lyft services, the companies announced in their accounts and on their social media.
Lyft CEO David Risher said in a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday that the company plans to start testing the Baidu initial fleet of dozens of vehicles, which will begin in 2026, pending regulatory approval, “with plans to scale to hundreds from there.”
However, Uber reported that the first pilot will begin operation in the first half of 2026. Lyft said, We’re excited to accelerate Britain’s leadership in the future of mobility, bringing another safe and reliable travel option to Londoners next year.”
The actions contribute to the increasing international footprint of Baidu, which it claims covers 22 cities and over 250,000 trips per week, as it competes with other Chinese entrants, such as WeRide, as well as Western competitors, such as Alphabet Waymo.
Particularly in the UK, driverless taxi firms have joined the fray in large numbers after the government revealed in June that it would step up its timeline to permit autonomous vehicle technology on public roads.
The government is currently looking to start allowing robotaxis to operate in small-scale pilots in spring 2026, and Baidu is likely to be one of the first.
Even the city of London has come up with the goal of “Vision Zero” to prevent all serious injuries and deaths in its transportation systems by the year 2041, with the technology of autonomous driving being projected to contribute significantly to the achievement of this objective.
The news about Baidu pilots arrives when its competitor, Waymo, is also seeking to start its testing in London and plans to roll out its full-service development in 2026. Waymo is already operational, testing, or has plans to operate in a minimum of 26 markets, such as major cities like Tokyo and New York City.
Baidu, in its part, has been actively expanding globally, where testing has already been implemented in global markets, such as the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.
