Chinese robotaxis due in London next year as Lyft and Uber reveal tie-ups | Self-driving cars
Chinese robotaxis will be on the streets of London next year after US ride-hailing companies Lyft and Uber announced they would link up with Beijing-based Baidu to implement autonomous driving technology.
Lyft has become the third company to announce plans to bring driverless taxis to the UK capital next year, after Uber and Waymo, the main operator of robotaxis in the US.
Ride-hailing services are Uber’s biggest rival in the US and Canada, and Lyft expanded into Europe with the acquisition of the Freenow app in the summer this year.
Uber signed a deal to work with Baidu in other global markets over the summer, but until now it had not said the Chinese tech company’s Apollo Go cars were planned for London. It had previously announced that its services would be powered by autonomous driving technology from UK-US firm Wayve.
Lyft said it plans to begin testing dozens of autonomous Apollo Go vehicles in London in 2026.
David Risher, Lyft’s CEO, said his vision is a “hybrid network” of autonomous vehicles and human drivers “working together to meet London’s diverse transport needs now and beyond, from late-night rides home to Heathrow rides to early rides around town and everything in between.”
He said the company was committed to working closely with Transport for London and local authorities “to ensure these vehicles improve London’s transport ecosystem”.
Meanwhile, Uber is rapidly Announced on X Baidu has plans to use its autonomous vehicles in London. The statement said: “Tests are expected to begin in the first half of 2026 as part of the UK’s border plan to begin trials for driverless vehicles. We are excited to accelerate the UK’s leadership in the future of mobility by providing Londoners with another safe and reliable travel option next year.”
An Uber spokesperson confirmed that the Baidu trials will be in addition to the Wayve trials.
Baidu’s Apollo Go is Asia’s leader in autonomous ride-hailing, operating in 22 cities and providing approximately 250,000 fully driverless rides per week. Uber said Baidu’s RT6 electric vehicles are built specifically for ridesharing and are “focused on providing people with a reliable, high-comfort ride.”
News that the Chinese tech company could be the driving force behind autonomous trials in London next year could raise safety concerns in some quarters following warnings that even regular electric vehicles could be used for espionage purposes.
The race to bring robotaxi to London has been spurred by the UK government, which is trying to introduce legislation to rapidly position Britain at the European forefront of driverless technology.
Waymo’s announcement in October sparked particular interest as the company’s robotaxis is now well established in San Francisco and is expanding to other U.S. cities, including Austin, Texas.
A major power outage in San Francisco this weekend led to traffic jams caused by stationary Waymo vehicles, adding new concerns to official reviews of the technology’s reliability.
