US-based transportation company Lyft is partnering with Chinese tech giant Baidu to begin providing autonomous passenger transport services in Europe in 2026. The service, which will initially launch in Germany and the UK, will utilize Baidu’s electric, fully autonomous RT6 robotaxis. The vehicles will operate via Lyft’s European mobility platform.
Lyft and Baidu are accelerating the robotaxi market
Lyft will be responsible for the customer experience, operations management, and fleet management in the project. Baidu will provide the hardware, software infrastructure, and driving systems for the vehicles. The service requires regulatory approvals in both countries to launch. The UK government has brought forward the timeline for robotaxi deployments to expedite the process. Passenger transport is expected to begin in spring 2026.
This European expansion represents a strategic milestone for Lyft. The company’s recent $200 million acquisition of FreeNow has granted it the right to operate in nine countries and more than 180 cities across Europe.
With this move, Lyft has expanded beyond North America for the first time in its history. The company plans to expand its robotaxi service quickly using this infrastructure. A rollout is anticipated to reach thousands of vehicles.
The agreement also signals the beginning of a new era in the European leg of the global robotaxi competition. Uber already collaborates with autonomous vehicle companies such as Waymo, Pony.ai, WeRide, and Momenta and plans to launch a similar robotaxi service in Europe in 2026. The Lyft-Baidu partnership is positioned as a direct response to this competition.
Baidu’s autonomous driving platform, Apollo Go, operates in 15 cities in China and has delivered more than 11 million autonomous rides to date. The company’s RT6 model stands out with its steering-less design and AI-based driving capabilities. These vehicles are already in commercial service in China.
The regulatory framework in markets like Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as the public’s reaction to this technology, will determine the project’s progress.
