Baidu to Deploy Robotaxis on Lyft App in Germany, Britain, Pending Approval

Baidu plans to launch its robotaxis on rideshare app Lyft in Germany and Britain in 2026, pending regulatory approval. The fleet of Apollo Go driverless cars will be expanded to thousands of vehicles across Europe in the following years. This move is part of Baidu's effort to take pole position in the competitive autonomous driving field both at home and abroad.

Lyft Inc. and Baidu Inc. have announced a strategic partnership to launch autonomous vehicles in Germany and the United Kingdom starting in 2026, pending regulatory approval. This collaboration aims to bring Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles to the Lyft platform, marking a significant step in both companies' expansions into the European market.

Under the agreement, Baidu will supply its electric RT6 autonomous vehicles, while Lyft will manage the customer platform and fleet operations. The initial deployment is planned for Germany and the UK in 2026, with the fleet scaling to thousands of vehicles across Europe in the following years [1][2][3][4].

This partnership comes after Lyft's recent acquisition of Freenow, a European mobility app, which gave it access to operations in over 180 cities across nine countries. The acquisition also opened up the European market to Lyft, which has historically centered its ride-hailing business on the United States and Canada [3][4].

Baidu, which operates one of the largest fleets of robotaxis in China, aims to expand its global footprint with this partnership. The company has so far racked up over 11 million rides in China and is seeking to expand in Switzerland, Singapore, and Malaysia [1][2].

The move follows a similar deal between Uber and Baidu, where Baidu’s driverless cars will be rolled out on the Uber app in Asia and the Middle East later this year. However, the Lyft deal is not exclusive, meaning it won't preclude Uber from deploying Baidu robotaxis in the same markets in the future [1][3].

Lyft and Baidu are positioning themselves to compete in the autonomous vehicle market, which is becoming increasingly crowded. Both companies are leveraging their existing routing and demand-prediction technologies to help autonomous-vehicle makers match with customers [1][3].

For Lyft, this partnership is part of its broader strategy to integrate autonomous vehicles into its ride-hailing network. The company is also working with May Mobility Inc. to offer its first driverless rides in Atlanta later this year and plans US deployments in 2026 with Intel Corp.-backed Mobileye Global Inc. and Benteler Group [3][4].

The partnership between Lyft and Baidu represents a significant milestone in the development of autonomous vehicle technology and its integration into the global ride-hailing market. As both companies expand their operations, they will need to navigate complex regulatory environments and ensure that their services meet the needs of local communities [1][2][3][4].

References:
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-04/lyft-partners-with-baidu-on-robotaxis-in-european-expansion
[2] https://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/1076021/robotaxis-for-uk-and-germany-under-lyft-jv-with-china-s-baidu-1076021.html
[3] https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/04/lyft-and-chinas-baidu-look-to-bring-robotaxis-to-europe-next-year/
[4] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lyft-china-baidu-look-bring-145505869.html