Uber and Lyft to Trial Robotaxis in UK

Chinese-built robotaxis could be carrying passengers around London as early as 2026, after Uber and Lyft confirmed new partnerships with tech giant Baidu to trial self-driving cars in the UK. Both ride-hailing companies want approval to test Baidu’s Apollo Go vehicles on London streets as part of a government-backed pilot scheme. If regulators sign off, the trials would mark one of Europe’s biggest steps yet toward commercial robotaxi services.

Baidu already runs its Apollo Go service in dozens of cities, mostly in China, where it says millions of trips have been completed without a human driver behind the wheel. Now, Britain is shaping up to be a key testing ground as the government speeds up plans for autonomous transport.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander welcomed the move, calling it a sign of confidence in the UK’s approach. “We're planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from spring, under our pilot scheme – harnessing this technology safely and responsibly to transform travel,” she said in a post on X.

Uber said earlier this year it was pushing ahead faster with UK trials after the government updated its framework for small autonomous taxi-style services from 2026. Announcing its Baidu deal, the company said: “We're excited to accelerate Britain's leadership in the future of mobility, bringing another safe and reliable travel option to Londoners next year.”

Lyft is also moving quickly. The company already offers autonomous rides in Atlanta in partnership with Google-owned Waymo and now plans to bring Baidu’s vehicles to both the UK and Germany. Its chief executive, David Risher, said London users would be “the first in the region to experience Baidu's Apollo Go vehicles”.

Lyft expects to start with a relatively small fleet before expanding. “We expect to start testing our initial fleet with dozens of vehicles next year — pending regulatory approval,” Risher said, adding that the company aims to scale up to hundreds of cars.

The push highlights a broader shift in the industry. Instead of building their own self-driving systems, Uber and Lyft are leaning on partnerships to speed up deployment. Analysts say this approach could help them compete globally, even as questions remain about costs and long-term profits from running expensive autonomous fleets.

Britain’s plans also put it in the middle of a global race. Waymo has said it wants to join UK trials, while Baidu and other Chinese firms are expanding into regions such as the Middle East and Switzerland. UK startup Wayve is also working with Uber on self-driving technology for London.

Despite the momentum, public trust remains a major hurdle. Surveys suggest many people are still uncomfortable with the idea of a driverless taxi, and recent incidents involving stalled or malfunctioning autonomous vehicles have kept safety concerns in the spotlight.

Jack Stilgoe, a professor at University College London, warned that growth needs to be handled carefully. “There's a big difference between having a few test vehicles using public streets as their laboratory and a fully-developed, scaled-up system that becomes a real transport option for people,” he said.

He also cautioned about congestion, adding: “When it comes to traffic, the only thing worse than a single-occupancy car is a zero-occupancy one.”

For now, the next big question is whether regulators — and passengers — are ready to share the road with robot drivers.