Lyft and Baidu have begun testing robotaxis in London, with Baidu's Apollo Go RT6 vehicles appearing on the streets accompanied by test drivers. The initiative is part of a partnership between Lyft and Baidu, supported by Freenow, the German taxi company Lyft acquired last year to handle passenger bookings starting next year.

Dozens of the Apollo Go RT6 units will operate in the Brent borough as part of the trials, aiming to eventually deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles across Europe. Other players are also active in the city: Waymo started testing Jaguar I‑Pace vehicles earlier this year, while Uber and its self‑driving partner Wayve are preparing trials and have opened an interest‑list sign‑up.

The robotaxi service will be branded as Freenow by Lyft and expects to invite the public to reserve rides sometime in 2027, pending regulatory approval. Timing will depend on clearance from Transport for London (TfL) and the UK government, which is drafting autonomous vehicle rules and has launched a robotaxi pilot program.