Baidu will start testing its self-driving taxis on the roads of London starting next year through its partnerships with Lyft and Uber.
Both of the ride-share companies shared the news on their respective social media platforms.
In a post to X, Uber said testing is expected to start in the first half of 2026.
“We’re excited to accelerate Britain's leadership in the future of mobility, bringing another safe and reliable travel option to Londoners next year,” Uber said.
The CEO and co-founder of Lyft, David Risher, said riders in the trial will be the first to experience Baidu’s Apollo Go vehicles.
“We expect to start testing our initial fleet with dozens of vehicles next year - pending regulatory approval - through the Lyft and Freenow ecosystem, with plans to scale to hundreds from there,” Risher said.
This grows Baidu’s global footprint, which currently includes 22 cities and more than 250,000 weekly trips, as it competes with competitors like China’s WeRide and Western Giant Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet.
The U.K. has especially been a region of interest for driverless taxi services, with the government announcing that it would accelerate plans to allow autonomous vehicle tech on public roads.
“Self-driving cars could bring jobs, investment, and the opportunity for the UK to be among the world leaders in new technology,” U.K. Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said.
The U.K. is also trying to stamp out all serious injuries and deaths in its transportation systems by 2041, with autonomous vehicles expected to play a large role in its ‘Vision Zero’ goal.
While Baidu is aiming to be the first of many robotaxis to hit U.K. streets, Waymo also announced that it would begin testing in October and plans to launch in 2026.
This comes as the safety of self-driving taxis has been questioned, especially after Waymo suspended services in San Francisco recently following a power outage in the area that caused vehicles to block traffic.
Waymo currently operates, is testing or has plans to launch in at least 26 markets, including major cities like Tokyo and New York City.
Biadu is attempting to keep pace with the Alphabet-owned company, with testing in international markets like the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.
