Uber and Lyft partner with Baidu to bring Apollo Go robotaxis to London in 2026. Explore the safety concerns, regulatory hurdles, and public skepticism surrounding driverless taxis in the UK.
In a bold move that could reshape urban transport, Uber and
Lyft have announced plans to trial Chinese-made robotaxis in London as early as
2026, in partnership with Baidu, China’s tech giant and operator of the Apollo
Go autonomous vehicle service.
The proposal, pending regulatory approval, marks a major
step toward integrating fully driverless taxis into the UK’s streets. But while
government officials hail it as progress, public trust and safety concerns
remain high.
The Baidu Connection: Apollo Go’s Global Ambitions
Baidu’s Apollo Go is already one of the world’s most active
robotaxi services, completing millions of fully autonomous rides across dozens
of Chinese cities, with no human driver behind the wheel.
Now, through separate agreements:
- Uber
will integrate Apollo Go vehicles into its UK ride-hailing platform
- Lyft
will deploy them in both the UK and Germany, calling London “the first
European city” to experience the service
Lyft CEO David Risher confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that an initial fleet of dozens would begin testing in 2026, with plans to scale to hundreds of vehicles, if approved.
