Baidu and Uber Join Forces to Bring Thousands of Driverless Cars to Ridesharing Platform

Uber and Baidu have formed a multi-year deal that will integrate Baidu's Apollo Go driverless cars into Uber's ridesharing platform. Baidu's fleet of over a thousand vehicles has successfully completed 11 million rides across 15 cities. This partnership aims to bring autonomous technology to a wider audience and could be a catalyst for mainstream adoption of driverless travel.

Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) and Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) have announced a multi-year strategic partnership to deploy thousands of Baidu's Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on Uber's platform across multiple global markets outside the U.S. and mainland China. The initial deployments are expected in Asia and the Middle East later this year.

The partnership aims to leverage Baidu's advanced autonomous driving technology on Uber's extensive ride-hailing network, enhancing the efficiency and safety of self-driving vehicles. Baidu's Apollo Go currently operates a fleet of over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles across 15 cities globally, having provided more than 11 million cumulative rides to the public as of May [1].

Under the agreement, riders requesting qualifying Uber trips may be presented with the option to have their trip fulfilled by a fully driverless Apollo Go autonomous vehicle. This collaboration aligns with Uber's broader ambitions in the autonomous vehicle (AV) space, which include partnerships with Waymo (GOOG) and Volkswagen (VWAGY, VLKAF, VWAPY) [3].

"This partnership brings together two of the world’s most iconic technology companies to help shape the future of mobility," said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. Baidu CEO Robin Li called the partnership "a major milestone in deploying our technology on a global scale" [2].

The collaboration aims to increase the supply of affordable and reliable ridesharing options by integrating Baidu's autonomous driving technology onto Uber's extensive network. Following the announcement, Uber's stock rose 1% in premarket trading, while Baidu's stock increased by 5% before the open [4].

References:
[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/baidu-and-uber-join-forces-to-accelerate-autonomous-vehicle-deployment-302505303.html
[2] https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/uber-stock-rises-after-baidu-partnership-for-selfdriving-taxis-93CH-4135569
[3] https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/uber-partners-with-chinas-baidu-deploy-self-driving-taxis-international-markets-2025-07-15/
[4] https://seekingalpha.com/news/4467424-uber-baidu-collaborate-on-autonomous-vehicle-deployment