Baidu plans to expand its robotaxis to Europe with Lyft deal

CNBC

2 days ago

Baidu will bring its driverless taxis to Europe next year via a partnership with U.S. ridehailing firm Lyft, as the Chinese tech giant looks to expand its autonomous vehicles globally.
The robotaxis will initially be deployed in the U.K. and Germany from 2026 with the aim to have "thousands" of vehicles across Europe in the "following years," the two companies said.
Lyft has had very little presence in Europe until last week when it closed the acquisition of Germany-based ride hailing company FreeNow, which is available in over 150 cities across nine countries, including Ireland, the U.K., Germany and France.
Deployment of the autonomous cars is "pending regulatory approval," Lyft and Baidu said in a Monday statement. It's unclear if Lyft will offer Baidu's robotaxis via the FreeNow app or another product.
The partnership marks a continued push from Baidu to expand its robotaxis to international markets.
Last month, Baidu partnered with Uber to deploy its autonomous cars on the ride-hailing giant's platform outside the U.S. and mainland China, with a focus on the Middle East and Asia.
In China, Baidu has been operating its own robotaxi service since 2021 in major cities like Beijing, allowing users to hail an Apollo Go car through the app.
For Lyft, the deal with Baidu could add a point of differentiation in Europe, pitting it against rivals such as Uber and Bolt as it looks to gain a foothold in the region.
Autonomous vehicles have become a big focus for ride-hailing companies which have looked to partner with companies that are developing the technology for driverless cars.
In the U.K., a market that Lyft is targeting, Uber this year partnered with self-driving car technology firm Wayve to launch trials of fully autonomous rides starting in spring 2026.