Lyft Inc (NASDAQ:LYFT) has announced a partnership with China’s Baidu to launch robotaxi services across Europe, marking Baidu’s debut in the region’s self-driving taxi market, according to Reuters.
The collaboration will begin in Germany and the UK next year, pending regulatory approval, with Baidu supplying its electric RT6 autonomous vehicles and Lyft managing the customer platform and fleet operations.
This move follows Lyft’s recent $200 million acquisition of European mobility app FreeNow, giving it access to operations in over 180 cities across nine countries.
The partnership aims to scale up to thousands of robotaxis throughout Europe over the coming years.
Lyft’s executive Jeremy Bird highlighted FreeNow’s strong relationships with European regulators as key to navigating the launch. The UK, in particular, is aiming to have commercial robotaxi services on the road by spring 2026.
This initiative comes as competition intensifies, with Uber also planning a European robotaxi launch and partnerships with multiple autonomous vehicle developers.
For Baidu, the deal represents its first major entry into the European market after establishing a presence in China and other regions.