Uber and Lyft back Baidu’s Apollo Go plans for London
Chinese autonomous taxi technology could appear on UK roads as early as 2026 after ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft announced partnerships with Baidu to test driverless vehicles in London.
The companies plan to seek regulatory approval to trial Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi service in the UK capital. Apollo Go already operates in dozens of cities, mostly in China, and Baidu says the service has delivered millions of rides without a human behind the wheel.
Government pilots and timelines are taking shape
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the announcements as a vote of confidence in the government’s plans for self-driving vehicles. The UK is preparing for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from spring 2026 under a pilot scheme designed to introduce the technology in a controlled way.
Uber said earlier this year it would bring forward its UK driverless taxi trials as the government accelerates a framework to allow pilots of small autonomous bus and taxi-like commercial services in 2026. Lyft said it intends to deploy driverless taxis in the UK and Germany under a broader European agreement with Baidu.
Scaling depends on regulators and real-world readiness
Both companies still need to convince regulators. Lyft chief executive David Risher said that if approved, an initial fleet of dozens of Baidu Apollo Go vehicles would begin testing in London in 2026, with plans to scale to hundreds over time.
Professor Jack Stilgoe of University College London cautioned that driverless cars cannot scale like other digital technologies. He said there is a significant gap between limited testing on public streets and a mature, scaled system that becomes a reliable transport option.
Safety concerns, public trust, and congestion debates persist
Many people remain uneasy about riding in taxis without a human operator. A YouGov poll in October found that almost 60% of UK respondents would not feel comfortable using a driverless taxi under any circumstances, and 85% said they would choose a human-driven cab if the price and convenience were the same.
Concerns also extend to privacy and congestion. Stilgoe warned that London has been successful at reducing car use in the city centre and argued that a transport model involving empty vehicles circulating could worsen traffic. Recent incidents have also kept scrutiny high, including reports that Waymo suspended some service in San Francisco after vehicles stopped working during a power cut.