Will we be traveling back home in the robotic taxi in the near future?
Baidu Expands Autonomous Taxi Services Globally
Baidu, the Chinese tech giant, has announced its plans to bring its autonomous taxi service, Apollo Go, to the international market, with a focus on Europe and the Middle East. The company aims to have its robotaxis operating in 65 cities by 2025 and 100 cities by 2030.
Currently, Baidu operates over 1,000 autonomous vehicles in 15 cities worldwide, including major Chinese cities like Beijing and Wuhan, as well as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Hong Kong. As of mid-2025, these vehicles have delivered over 11 million rides and logged 170 million kilometers safely.
Baidu is partnering with global ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft to deploy its sixth-generation autonomous vehicles internationally, excluding the U.S. and China for now. Lyft aims to launch Baidu robotaxis in the UK and Germany starting in 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, with plans to scale to thousands of vehicles across Europe in subsequent years. Uber is focusing deployments primarily in Asia and the Middle East.
In contrast, Waymo, a subsidiary of Google, has primarily concentrated its autonomous vehicle deployment on the U.S. market. Waymo started commercial robotaxi services earlier (around 2018) and has scaled a fleet of hundreds of vehicles, focusing on deep learning of complex US urban environments and regulatory navigation specific to America. Waymo has more limited international presence compared to Baidu.
The federal government in Germany is set to relax legal requirements for autonomous driving next year, paving the way for the deployment of autonomous vehicles in the country. Research on autonomous driving is being conducted at the Technical University of Ingolstadt, and the city has a digital test field for autonomous driving on the A9 between Munich and Nuremberg. The research vehicle "Anton" has been driving around the campus at the Technical University of Ingolstadt.
Lyft, a ride-hailing company based in the Bavarian capital, has completed the acquisition of taxi app FreeNow for 175 million euros. FreeNow will handle bookings and customer service for Lyft's robotaxis. There are also three test tracks for autonomous minibuses in the Lower Bavarian district of Kelheim. Nuremberg introduced the first automatic subway in 2008.
References: 1. Baidu's Apollo Go 2. Baidu's Partnership with Uber and Lyft 3. Baidu's Autonomous Vehicle Deployment 4. Lyft's Plans for Baidu Robotaxis 5. Waymo's Autonomous Vehicle Deployment
- Baidu's expansion into the global market extends beyond autonomous taxi services, with plans to collaborate with finance and technology sectors to introduce innovative payment solutions and advanced AI technologies in self-driving vehicles.
- The automotive industry stands to gain significant benefits from Baidu's focus on transportation, as the sixth-generation autonomous vehicles could potentially revolutionize urban mobility and reduce traffic congestion in cities like London and Frankfurt.
- In relation to this development, finance institutions are expressing interest in partnering with Baidu to fund the deployment of autonomous vehicles in the extensive transportation networks of Europe and the Middle East. This collaboration could unlock substantial investments in the autonomous vehicle industry, driving forward the adoption of these technologies globally.
