Uber and Lyft said they are teaming up with Chinese tech giant Baidu to launch driverless taxi trials in the UK next year, reports Reuters. The move reinforces the UK’s role as Europe’s leading testbed for commercializing robotaxis.
As part of the partnerships, Baidu’s Apollo Go RT6 vehicles will join the London networks of the ride-hailing platforms in 2026, marking the first direct competition between US and Chinese autonomous giants in a European capital, following Alphabet-owned Waymo’s recent start of supervised tests in the city.
This momentum mirrors a broader global surge as Baidu and WeRide expand operations into the Middle East and Switzerland, while cities such as Austin, San Francisco in the US, UAE’s Abu Dhabi, and Wuhan, China have become major hubs for robotaxi operations.