Baidu and Lyft team up to launch autonomous taxis in Europe
In a significant development for the autonomous vehicle industry, Chinese tech giant Baidu and US ride-hailing company Lyft have announced a partnership to deploy Baidu's fully electric RT6 robotaxis in Europe. The initial rollout is planned for 2026, pending regulatory approval, with a focus on key markets in Germany and the United Kingdom.
This partnership is a strategic move for both companies. For Baidu, it marks its first entry into the European autonomous taxi market, expanding its global footprint beyond the Chinese mainland and US markets where it has been operating its Apollo Go service. On the other hand, this partnership represents Lyft's strategic expansion beyond the US and Canada, positioning the company at the forefront of the robotaxi race in Europe.
Lyft's recent acquisition of Freenow, one of Europe's largest taxi-hailing apps, operating across nine European countries and over 180 cities, will facilitate the deployment and management of the platform, customer service, and fleet logistics. Baidu, meanwhile, will provide the autonomous vehicles and the technical expertise required for the operation.
The RT6 robotaxi uses Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous driving system, which has demonstrated scale with over 1,000 vehicles in 15 cities globally and more than 11 million rides completed. The vehicle is purpose-built for ridesharing and based on Baidu's Autonomous Driving Foundation Model, refined through six generations of real-world testing.
Regulatory approval is currently the key prerequisite to launch operations. The companies are actively engaging European regulators to ensure a smooth deployment. However, challenges may arise, such as pushback from labor groups concerned about the impact of driverless vehicles on traditional taxi jobs, especially since many European drivers depend on this income as their primary livelihood.
The partnership aims to deploy thousands of robotaxis across Europe in the coming years, leveraging Lyft’s platform integration and FreeNow’s local market presence and regulatory relationships. This development is expected to accelerate the adoption of autonomous mobility on the continent, showcasing a hybrid approach where autonomous vehicles complement human drivers to broaden customer options.
Baidu entered the autonomous driving technology sector in 2013 and has since partnered with Uber for deployments outside the US and the Chinese mainland. This partnership with Lyft, therefore, marks a significant milestone in Baidu's international expansion. The first deployments of the partnership are expected to take place later this year in Asia and the Middle East, using the sixth generation of Apollo Go robotaxis.
In conclusion, the partnership between Baidu and Lyft promises to revolutionise the European transportation landscape by introducing autonomous robotaxis to key European markets. The deployment of these vehicles, pending regulatory approval, could potentially accelerate the adoption of autonomous mobility on the continent, providing a more efficient, sustainable, and accessible transportation solution for millions of Europeans.
[1] Baidu Press Release: [Link to Press Release] [2] Lyft Press Release: [Link to Press Release] [3] Baidu Apollo Go Website: [Link to Website] [4] European Commission Press Release: [Link to Press Release] [5] International Transport Forum: [Link to Report]
- This partnership between Baidu and Lyft, incorporating the use of Baidu's autonomous driving technology in Lyft's ridesharing service, aims to expand the deployment of robotaxis across the European market.
- Leveraging Lyft's platform integration and FreeNow's local market presence, the Companies plan to deploy thousands of autonomous robotaxis in key European markets, including Germany and the United Kingdom, starting in 2026.
- Baidu's autonomous driving technology, showcased through its Apollo Go robotaxis with over 1,000 vehicles in 15 cities globally, is intended to revolutionize the European automotive and transportation industry.
- As a strategic move, this partnership enables Baidu's entry into the European autonomous taxi market, broadening its global footprint beyond mainland China and the US, where it has been operating Apollo Go services.
- The future development of this partnership may extend beyond Europe and into the Asian and Middle Eastern markets, further accelerating the industry's movement toward autonomous mobility solutions.
