London Road Testing Integrates Two Major Ride-Hailing Platforms
Baidu’s autonomous driving service Apollo Go officially began road testing in Brent, a borough in northwest London, on July 28, becoming the first robotaxi operator to collaborate simultaneously with both Uber and Freenow, Lyft’s platform. The test vehicles are Apollo Go’s sixth-generation RT6 model, currently equipped with safety operators. Both Apollo Go and Freenow stated that paid passenger services in London are expected to launch no earlier than 2027, pending regulatory approval.
The London testing stems from agreements Baidu signed with Uber and Lyft in 2025. Under these deals, Apollo Go will deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles in major European cities and expand through Uber’s platform to global markets outside the US and mainland China. Uber has invested over $10 billion to date in building its robotaxi partnership network. The joint adoption of Baidu’s autonomous driving technology by both Uber and Lyft underscores the scarcity of global autonomous vehicle suppliers.
Hong Kong Completes World’s First Fully Driverless Trial in a Right-Hand-Drive Market
Apollo Go conducted the world’s first fully driverless trial in a right-hand-drive market on Airport Island, Hong Kong, on July 27, becoming the first Level 4 autonomous driving test program in Hong Kong without safety operators. The Hong Kong Transport Department granted the trial permit on July 23. Commissioner for Transport Winnie Tse described the trial as "an important step toward realizing the goals of driverless, scaled-up, and commercialized autonomous vehicle operations."
The Transport Department reported that on the first day of testing, vehicles operated normally in heavy rain, obeyed traffic signals, and yielded to pedestrians. The route included roundabouts, yield intersections, and varying traffic densities. Since obtaining Hong Kong’s first autonomous driving trial license in November 2024, Apollo Go has logged over 240,000 kilometers on Airport Island, North Lantau, Kowloon East, and Hong Kong Island South. Baidu stated that experience gained in Hong Kong’s right-hand-drive market will be directly applied to other right-hand-drive regions, including London, to accelerate technological deployment.
Global Expansion Continues as Commercialization Accelerates
Apollo Go continues to expand its global autonomous driving footprint, currently offering fully driverless commercial passenger services in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In eastern Switzerland, it secured a Level 4 autonomous driving permit under the AmiGo brand. During the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Baidu signed a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan’s Freedom Holding to explore bringing autonomous driving services to Central Asia.
As of April 2026, Apollo Go has completed over 22 million cumulative rides globally. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, it conducted 3.2 million fully driverless rides, a 120% year-over-year increase. By May 2026, Apollo Go’s autonomous fleets had covered over 330 million kilometers, with 220 million of those fully driverless. Despite Apollo Go’s leading global presence, testing in London and Switzerland remains in a supervised phase, and while the Airport Island trial in Hong Kong is fully driverless, its route is limited. The path to citywide commercial operations still requires further breakthroughs.
Through partnerships with Uber and Lyft, Baidu is accelerating the commercialization of autonomous taxis. However, whether paid services can launch in London by 2027 will depend on regulatory progress. As autonomous driving technology matures, Apollo Go’s simultaneous testing across multiple global markets signals the accelerating arrival of the commercial robotaxi era.
