Lyft and Baidu enter London’s robotaxi battleground as testing begins
Quick Answer
Baidu has commenced testing its Apollo Go RT6 robotaxi in London through a partnership with Lyft and Freenow, aiming for public deployment by 2027, contingent on regulatory approval.
Quick Take
This move positions Baidu in the competitive UK robotaxi market, alongside other players like Waymo and Uber.
Key Points
- Testing began with human safety operators in London's borough of Brent.
- Lyft acquired Freenow in 2025 for approximately $197 million.
- Baidu and Freenow expect to launch robotaxi services by 2027.
- UK government is developing regulations for autonomous vehicles.
- The service will operate a hybrid network with human drivers and robotaxis.
DeepSignal Analysis
What happened
Baidu has begun testing its Apollo Go RT6 robotaxi in London through a partnership with Lyft and Freenow. This initiative follows a strategic partnership formed nearly a year ago, with plans for public deployment by 2027, pending regulatory approval. The testing involves human safety operators and is part of a broader competition in the UK robotaxi market.
Key evidence
- Baidu's Apollo Go RT6 robotaxi testing in London started recently, involving human safety operators, as part of a partnership with Lyft and Freenow.
- Lyft acquired Freenow in 2025 for approximately $197 million, which allows it to expand its presence in Europe's ride-hailing market.
- Waymo and Uber are also testing autonomous vehicles in London, indicating a competitive landscape for robotaxi services in the city.
Why it matters
The entry of Baidu into the UK robotaxi market highlights the increasing global competition in autonomous vehicle technology. With established players like Waymo and Uber already testing in London, Baidu's efforts could influence regulatory frameworks and market dynamics. The anticipated 2027 public launch underscores the importance of regulatory approval in the deployment of autonomous technologies, which remains a significant hurdle for many companies.
📖 Reader Mode
~3 min readChinese tech giant Baidu has started testing autonomous vehicles in London as part of its partnership with Lyft and Freenow, the German taxi and multi-mobility app that Lyft now owns. Baidu is the latest in a string of companies to test self-driving technology in the UK ahead of commercial robotaxi deployments.
The testing, which began Tuesday with human safety operators, comes nearly a year after the two companies struck a strategic partnership to deploy Baidu’s purpose-built Apollo Go RT6 robotaxi across key European markets through the Lyft platform. The vehicles will eventually be available through Freenow, which Lyft acquired in 2025 for about $197 million.
That deal gave Lyft a foothold in Europe’s ride-hailing market, where a handful of well-funded companies are now jockeying to be first to market with robotaxis.
London is particular is shaping up to be a key battleground in the region. In April, Waymo began testing its autonomous vehicles with human safety operators in the city. Uber and its self-driving tech partner, Wayve, also announced plans to launch a robotaxi service in London this year. That initial service — which customers can now sign up for on an interest list — will have human safety operators behind the wheel before fully driverless operations begin later.
Baidu and Freenow by Lyft (as the latter service is now called) said they expect to invite the public to hail their robotaxis in 2027. The companies, which didn’t provide a more detailed timeline, noted that the launch will depend on regulatory approval.
For now, dozens of test vehicles will operate within London’s borough of Brent. Lyft and Freenow said they continue discussions with safety and city officials, including Transport for London (TfL) and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV). The UK government is in the process of creating autonomous vehicle regulations and opened applications in May for companies interested in an AV pilot program that lets companies test self-driving vehicles under government oversight.
When the service does launch, Freenow by Lyft said it will operate a hybrid network — employing the same language rival Uber has used — meaning human drivers operating taxis and private-hire vehicles will work alongside the robotaxis.
“As a platform with deep roots in the taxi industry, our priority is ensuring that autonomous technology supports the professional drivers who keep London moving,” Thomas Zimmermann, CEO of Freenow by Lyft, said in a statement.
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Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in-car tech for more than a decade. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive.
You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at kkorosec.07 on Signal.
— Originally published at techcrunch.com
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