Chinese language robotaxis due in London subsequent 12 months as Lyft and Uber reveal tie-ups | Self-driving vehicles

Chinese language robotaxis are as a result of be on the streets of London subsequent 12 months after the US ride-hailing firms Lyft and Uber introduced tie-ups with Beijing-based Baidu to deploy its self-driving expertise.

Lyft is the third agency to announce plans to introduce self-driving taxis to the UK capital subsequent 12 months, after Uber and Waymo, the primary operator of robotaxis within the US.

Its ride-hailing companies are the main rival to Uber’s within the US and Canada, and this 12 months Lyft expanded into Europe after buying the Freenow app in the summertime.

Whereas Uber had signed a deal to work with Baidu in the summertime in different world markets, it had not till now stated that the Chinese language tech firm’s Apollo Go vehicles have been deliberate for London. It had beforehand introduced its companies can be operated with self-driving expertise from the UK-US agency Wayve.

Lyft stated it deliberate to begin checks with dozens of self-driving Apollo Go vehicles in London in 2026.

Information that the Chinese language expertise firm may be the driving pressure behind London’s autonomous trials subsequent 12 months heightened considerations in some quarters, after warnings that even regular electrical automobiles could possibly be used for spying functions.

Safety consultants warned that Chinese language expertise dominating the market may improve Britain’s vulnerability. Charles Parton, an affiliate fellow on the defence thinktank Rusi, stated the transfer posed further dangers to nationwide safety, from Beijing exploiting UK dependency on their expertise, to harvesting large quantities of information, and probably even instantly controlling the methods.

He stated: “The issue is the connectivity of those automobiles. If the Chinese language get a monopoly we’re in hassle, and that is one other step to them doing this.

“In instances of pressure or warfare they may flip issues off … you might be mainly permitting them to show off, stall or crash all of the taxis in London, and trigger gridlock.”

Baidu’s Apollo Go is Asia’s chief in autonomous ride-hailing, working in 22 cities and offering about 250,000 absolutely driverless rides every week.

David Risher, the chief govt of Lyft, stated that Baidu’s RT6 electrical automobiles have been purpose-built for rideshare and “centered on giving individuals a dependable, high-comfort journey”.

He stated its imaginative and prescient for the UK was for a “hybrid community” of autonomous automobiles and human drivers “working collectively to serve London’s various transportation wants now and past – from late-night journeys house to Heathrow rides, to early commutes throughout city, and all the things in between”.

He stated the corporate was dedicated to working carefully with Transport for London and native authorities “to make sure these automobiles improve London’s transportation ecosystem”.

Uber introduced its personal plans to make use of Baidu’s autonomous automobiles in London with a submit on X. It stated: “Testing is anticipated to begin within the first half of 2026, below the UK’s frontier plan to start trials for self-driving automobiles. We’re excited to speed up Britain’s management in the way forward for mobility, bringing one other secure and dependable journey choice to Londoners subsequent 12 months.”

An Uber spokesperson confirmed the Baidu trials can be along with these with Wayve.

The race to deliver robotaxis to London has been pushed by the UK authorities, which is seeking to move legal guidelines to swiftly open up Britain as a European frontrunner in driverless expertise.

The announcement by Waymo in October fuelled explicit curiosity, with the corporate’s robotaxis now properly established in San Francisco and increasing to different US cities together with Austin, Texas.

A serious energy outage in San Francisco this weekend led to visitors jams brought on by stationary Waymo automobilesincluding contemporary considerations to official scrutiny of the reliability of the expertise.