Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing platform is now operating on London roads through a newly launched testing program with Lyft and the German mobility app Freenow that Lyft acquired last year
The purpose-built RT6 electric vehicles, carrying safety monitors, will run in the Brent district as the companies work through the approvals needed to begin carrying fare-paying passengers in 2027
Freenow’s established presence in nine European countries and more than 180 cities gives the partnership a ready-made operational framework for coordinating with local authorities and integrating into existing transport networks
Apollo Go’s vice president Nan Yang characterized the London deployment as a clear signal that Baidu’s autonomous driving technology is mature enough to handle the complexities of one of the world’s busiest and most historic capitals
Freenow chief Thomas Zimmermann emphasized that the robotaxis are intended to expand the platform’s vehicle pool rather than shrink opportunities for the professional drivers who already use the app
Baidu is responsible for the RT6 vehicles and their autonomous driving systems, while Freenow manages the regulatory pathway, local logistics, and passenger booking experience
The UK program follows Apollo Go’s achievement in Hong Kong last week, where it became the first company to receive a permit for fully driverless Level 4 testing on right-hand-drive roads, with operations beginning on Airport Island
Baidu’s fleet has completed more than 22 million passenger trips across 27 cities, and the first quarter of 2026 saw 3.2 million fully driverless rides — a figure that grew more than 120 percent compared with the same period a year earlier
Total autonomous mileage now exceeds 330 million kilometers, with the company citing a strong safety record across the diverse environments in which it operates
London is emerging as a key testing ground for multiple autonomous vehicle operators, with Waymo already present in the city.
