Baidu and Lyft Partner for Global Expansion: Autonomous Taxis Coming to Europe by 2026

Tech giant Baidu and US ride-hailing service Lyft announce plans to introduce driverless taxis across Europe beginning in 2026. This partnership signifies Baidu’s efforts to expand its autonomous vehicle fleet globally.

Initially, the robotaxis will be deployed in key European cities such as London and Berlin, with ambitions to grow their presence significantly over subsequent years. The companies aim to have thousands of these vehicles operational across Europe.

Lyft recently acquired Germany-based ride-hailing company FreeNow, which operates in over 150 cities spanning nine countries, including Ireland, the UK, Germany, and France. While regulatory approval is still pending, details regarding whether Baidu’s robotaxis will be offered via the FreeNow app or another platform have yet to be disclosed.

This partnership follows Baidu’s collaboration with Uber in expanding its autonomous car deployment outside of the US and mainland China, focusing on regions like the Middle East and Asia. In China, Baidu has been operating its own robotaxi service since 2021 in major cities such as Beijing, allowing users to hail an Apollo Go vehicle through the app.

For Lyft, this partnership presents an opportunity to establish a competitive edge in Europe against rivals like Uber and Bolt, as it seeks to strengthen its presence in the region. The focus on autonomous vehicles by ride-hailing companies reflects their growing interest in partnering with technology developers for driverless cars.

In the UK, where Lyft is aiming to establish a strong market presence, Uber has already teamed up with self-driving car technology firm Wayve to conduct trials of fully autonomous rides starting from spring 2026.