Lyft and Uber have signed agreements with Chinese AI company Baidu to pilot robotaxis in London next year.
Subject to regulatory approval, Lyft – which expanded into Europe through the $197 million buyout of FreeNow in July – plans to trial “dozens of vehicles” in the capital in 2026, with this eventually scaling to hundreds.
If the trial gets the green-light, Londoners will be the first in the UK to test out Baidu’s Apollo Go vehicles.
The company’s robotaxis have already travelled millions of autonomous kilometres, with a global footprint in 22 cities and over 250,000 weekly trips.
The move follows the expansion of Baidu’s testing in Hong Kong after it received the city’s first permit in late 2024.
“This is our vision for a hybrid network coming to life: AVs and human drivers working together to serve London’s diverse transportation needs now and beyond – from late-night trips home (post-Nandos, of course), to Heathrow rides, to early commutes across town, and everything in between,” said chief executive of Lyft, David Risher. “We’re committed to working closely with Transport for London, local authorities, and the communities we’ll serve to ensure these vehicles enhance London’s transportation ecosystem.”
Risher added that the company will share more details about the plans in the coming months.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander MP welcomed the news on X: “Another vote of confidence in our plans for self-driving vehicles from global leader Lyft. We’re planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from Spring, under our pilot scheme – harnessing this technology safely and responsibly to transform travel.”
Earlier this year, Lyft and Baidu announced a strategic partnership to deploy autonomous vehicles across key European markets, marking a significant expansion for both companies into the continent’s fast-evolving mobility sector.
At the time, the companies revealed that they would launch Apollo Go robotaxis in both Germany and the UK from next year, pending regulatory approval.
In October, Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle developer Waymo, unveiled plans to begin testing in London “within weeks”, with the company working towards offering fully driverless ride-hailing under the UK government’s proposed piloting scheme from next year.
The company currently operates paid services in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta, with announced US expansions to Dallas, Miami, Washington DC and Nashville.
Reporting more than ten million paid rides since 2020, Waymo says its cars have driven over 100 million fully autonomous miles in the US.
In August, Uber was reportedly in talks with potential investors, including private equity firms and banks, to raise funds for the expansion of its robotaxis business.
The company’s chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said at the time that the ride-hailing giant is seeking to secure new capital as it bets on a large-scale rollout of new autonomous driving technology.
