Baidu and Lyft Unveil Plans for the Debut of Robotaxi Operations in Europe by 2026
Chinese tech giant Baidu and U.S. ride-hailing company Lyft have announced a partnership to bring autonomous robotaxis to Europe, with plans to launch services in Germany and the United Kingdom by 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
The partnership, which marks Baidu's first commercial robotaxi deployment in Europe and Lyft's first expansion outside North America, will see the two companies collaborating closely to bring thousands of Baidu's high-capacity Apollo RT6 electric robotaxis to European cities.
Timeline and Regulatory Approval
The UK government has accelerated regulatory clearance processes, aiming for paid robotaxi services to start by spring 2026. In Germany, however, permissions depend on local authorities issuing specific approvals under the Road Traffic Act, which may delay the launch, particularly regarding operations without safety drivers.
Expansion Plans
Lyft's recent $200 million acquisition of the European mobility app FreeNow, which operates in nine countries and over 180 cities, will play a crucial role in the expansion. The company aims to deploy thousands of Baidu’s RT6 autonomous vehicles across multiple European cities within several years.
Technology and Operations
Baidu's Apollo Go system, which has logged over 11 million autonomous rides in 15 cities across China, will provide the foundation for the European deployment. The Apollo RT6 robotaxi, designed for fully driverless operation and cost efficiency, is equipped with Baidu's proprietary autonomous driving foundation model.
Lyft will manage the operational side of the service, including fleet logistics and customer interaction, leveraging FreeNow’s regional regulatory relations and infrastructure to facilitate market entry.
Competitive Context
This move follows similar steps by competitors such as Uber, which is expanding its global robotaxi efforts with partners like Waymo and Wayve, targeting a 2026 European launch. The Apollo RT6 robotaxi features a ten-layer redundancy architecture for safety, ensuring a high level of reliability and security.
In summary, Baidu and Lyft’s autonomous robotaxi deployment in Europe is planned to begin in 2026 in the UK and Germany pending government approvals, with an ambitious scale-up to thousands of vehicles across multiple countries in the following years. The regulatory environment, especially in Germany, remains a key factor influencing the exact timeline and operational details.
Technology will be at the core of Baidu's autonomous robotaxi deployment in Europe, as the Apollo RT6 robotaxi, equipped with Baidu's proprietary autonomous driving foundation model, will be the driving force behind this venture. Lyft, on the other hand, will focus on managing the operational aspects, utilizing technology and resources from their acquisition of FreeNow to facilitate market entry and scale up operations across multiple European cities.
