London is poised to become the next major testing ground for autonomous driving technology. Uber and Lyft are partnering with Baidu to pilot Apollo Go, the Chinese tech giant’s all-electric, self-driving taxi platform, set to hit London streets by 2026. This initiative goes beyond a simple trial—it's part of a broader strategy to integrate driverless vehicles into mainstream ride-hailing services. Notably, Baidu’s robotaxis have already logged hundreds of millions of kilometers in real-world operations across Asia and are now heading to London to navigate one of Europe’s most complex urban environments.
Baidu Apollo Go operates the world’s largest autonomous ride-hailing service, having completed over 17 million rides across 22 cities globally. The fleet has accumulated more than 240 million kilometers of autonomous driving, with over 140 million kilometers driven in fully driverless mode. In October alone, weekly rides surpassed 250,000—all without human intervention. “This demonstrates the scalability and reliability of our technology,” said Lyft CEO David Risher.
The vehicles designated for London are Baidu’s purpose-built Apollo RT6 models, designed specifically for ride-hailing and entirely electric. Unlike retrofitted traditional cars, these vehicles are engineered from the ground up for full autonomy, equipped with advanced AI systems, LiDAR, radar, and camera arrays for comprehensive environmental perception.
The selection of London as a test site is no coincidence. The UK has established one of Europe’s most progressive regulatory frameworks for automated vehicles. The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 clarifies legal accountability for self-driving systems, fostering an environment that encourages innovation while maintaining high safety standards. Moreover, London’s intricate road network—featuring narrow lanes, heavy pedestrian traffic, and unpredictable driving behaviors—offers a rigorous proving ground for autonomous driving capabilities.
These pilots also place Uber and Lyft in direct competition with other autonomous vehicle initiatives already active in the region. Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, has begun testing robotaxis in London and aims to launch commercial services by 2026. This momentum reflects the accelerating global race in autonomous mobility. For instance, Chinese rival WeRide is actively testing and deploying its technology across Europe. In January 2025, it launched a robotaxi pilot in Switzerland, followed by a fully driverless Robobus shuttle service in France’s Drôme region in February. The global autonomous ride-hailing market, valued at $2.77 billion in 2024, is projected to exceed $150 billion by 2034.
