Baidu has begun testing autonomous vehicles in London, marking a new step in its partnership with Lyft and Freenow. The move puts Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi effort into one of Europe’s most closely watched urban mobility markets.
According to the report, Baidu’s Apollo Go vehicles are set to be available through Freenow, the German taxi and multi-mobility platform that Lyft acquired in 2025. That gives the partnership a direct route into an established ride-booking network rather than building a new consumer app from scratch.
The London testing effort shows how Baidu and Lyft are positioning themselves in the growing robotaxi race. By linking Apollo Go’s autonomous driving technology with Freenow’s local platform, the companies are combining self-driving vehicle development with a service that already connects riders to transport options.
For London, the start of testing adds another autonomous vehicle program to a city increasingly seen as a key battleground for future transport services. For Baidu, Lyft, and Freenow, it is an early but important phase as they work toward bringing robotaxi access to users in the UK capital.
