Uber and Lyft to trial Chinese robotaxis in London from 2026

Uber and Lyft have announced plans to trial Chinese robotaxis in London beginning in 2026 through partnerships with Beijing-based Baidu, marking an expansion of autonomous vehicle testing in the British capital.

Baidu's Apollo Go driverless taxi service will operate through both ride-hailing platforms. Lyft said it plans to begin testing with dozens of self-driving Apollo Go vehicles in London in 2026, pending regulatory approval, with plans to scale to hundreds of vehicles thereafter, according to Lyft CEO David Risher. Uber said its first pilot is expected to start in the first half of 2026.

Baidu's Apollo Go service already operates in dozens of cities, primarily in China, as well as in Hong Kong and Dubai. The service has accumulated millions of rides without a human driver behind the wheel.

Uber had previously signed a deal to work with Baidu in the summer for other global markets, but had not until now announced plans to deploy Apollo Go vehicles in London. The company had previously announced it would operate self-driving services in the UK capital using technology from Wayve, a UK/US autonomous vehicle firm.

Lyft is the third company to announce plans to introduce self-driving taxis to London in 2026, following Uber and Waymo, the primary operator of robotaxis in the United States. Lyft expanded into Europe this year after acquiring the Freenow app in the summer.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the announcement was "another vote of confidence in our plans for self-driving vehicles." She noted that the government is planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from spring under a pilot scheme, describing the approach as harnessing the technology "safely and responsibly to transform travel."

Both companies will need to obtain regulatory approval before beginning trials in the capital.