"Chinese robotaxis could be set to hit UK roads in 2026 as ride-sharing apps Uber and Lyft announce partnerships with Baidu to trial the tech. The two companies are hoping to obtain approval from regulators to test the autonomous vehicles in London. Baidu's Apollo Go driverless taxi service already operates in dozens of cities, mostly in China, and has accrued millions of rides without a human behind the wheel."
"Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the news was "another vote of confidence in our plans for self-driving vehicles" - but many remain sceptical about their safety. "We're planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from spring, under our pilot scheme harnessing this technology safely and responsibly to transform travel," Ms Alexander said in a post on X."
""We're excited to accelerate Britain's leadership in the future of mobility, bringing another safe and reliable travel option to Londoners next year," it said of its Baidu partnership on Monday. Lyft said in August it would look to deploy driverless taxis in the UK and Germany as part of a European agreement with Baidu. It already operates "autonomous rides" in Atlanta, US - where Uber also operates a robotaxi service through its partnership with Waymo."
Uber and Lyft have partnered with Baidu to trial Baidu's Apollo Go driverless taxis on London streets, targeting pilot operations in 2026 subject to regulatory approval. Baidu's Apollo Go already runs in dozens of mostly Chinese cities and has completed millions of rides without human drivers. The UK transport secretary framed the pilots as a safe, responsible step toward carrying passengers from spring under a government pilot scheme. Uber and Lyft presented the partnerships as advancing mobility leadership, and Lyft plans an initial fleet of dozens with potential scaling to hundreds. Safety and regulatory clearance remain key uncertainties.
Read at www.bbc.com
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