Lyft partners with Baidu to deploy robotaxis in Europe
The American ride-hailing service Lyft has partnered with Chinese tech giant Baidu to deploy a fleet of autonomous vehicles across Europe, starting with Germany and the UK.
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The American ride-hailing service Lyft has partnered with Chinese tech giant Baidu to deploy a fleet of autonomous vehicles across Europe, starting with Germany and the UK.
First robotaxis agreed under a “strategic partnership” are set to roll out in Germany and the UK as early as 2026, pending regulatory agreement, with thousands more planned across the continent in the following years, the two companies said in the statement.
Baidu will supply the vehicles – the electric RT6 cars purpose-built for its Apollo Go robotaxi service – and technical support, while Lyft will operate the platform and manage the logistics, as well as customer service.
The agreement comes as both companies are pursuing international expansion. Lyft has just entered the European market after finalizing the acquisition of the German taxi app Freenow last week.
Baidu operates one of the world’s largest robotaxi fleets through its Apollo Go service, but it’s mostly concentrated in China and the partnership would be the company’s first commercial move into Europe.
It marks “a significant milestone” in Baidu’s international expansion, its co-founder and chief executive Robin Li said in a statement.
Baidu currently operates more than 1,000 vehicles that completed more than 11 million rides. The Beijing-based company, which started as China’s answer to Google, is also seeking to expand in Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, and the UAE.
The acquisition of Freenow, one of Europe’s biggest mobility apps, was Lyft’s first expansion beyond the US and Canada, adding nine new countries and over 180 cities to its portfolio.
David Risher, chief executive of Lyft, said the company was “committed to working hand-in-hand with local regulators” in deploying robotaxis in Europe.
Rival Uber plans to launch its own robotaxi service in Europe next year as well, following a partnership with Chinese software developer Momenta. It also has a deal with Baidu to deploy robotaxi services in the Middle East and Asia.