Chinese technology company Baidu has launched road testing of its Apollo Go autonomous taxis in London, marking a significant step in the expansion of self-driving transport into the UK. The programme is being carried out in partnership with Freenow by Lyft.
The initial trials are taking place in the London Borough of Brent, with trained safety operators remaining inside every vehicle while engineers collect data and adapt the system to one of the world’s most challenging urban traffic environments.
Subject to regulatory approval, the companies expect to begin carrying public passengers during 2027. The autonomous vehicles are intended to operate alongside conventional taxis and private-hire cars, helping reduce waiting times and improve transport availability rather than replacing existing services.
Apollo Go has already become one of the world’s largest commercial robotaxi services, completing more than 22 million rides across 27 cities while accumulating hundreds of millions of autonomous kilometres.
London is rapidly emerging as Europe’s leading testing ground for autonomous mobility, with companies including Waymo, Wayve and Baidu all preparing commercial robotaxi services as the UK develops its regulatory framework for self-driving vehicles.
