Baidu’s Apollo Go has begun robotaxi road testing in London, adding a major new city to its autonomous driving efforts. The company is launching the tests alongside Uber and Freenow by Lyft, linking the program to two of the biggest names in ride-hailing.
The London rollout is notable not only because of the location, but also because Apollo Go is working with both platforms at the same time. That suggests Baidu is aiming to build visibility and operating experience through established mobility networks rather than testing on its own.
The start of testing also comes just days after Apollo Go carried out what was described as the first fully driverless trial in a right-hand-drive setting. That timing points to a broader push by Baidu to adapt its robotaxi system for markets where road layouts and driving conditions differ from many of its previous deployments.
For the wider autonomous vehicle sector, the London test is another sign that robotaxi companies are looking beyond limited pilot zones and expanding into more globally significant urban markets. While the scope and timeline of the program are still unclear, the move puts Apollo Go, Uber and Freenow by Lyft at the center of one of the latest robotaxi developments in Europe.
