Ride-sharing platform Lyft plans to deploy autonomous vehicles in Germany and the UK next year, pending regulatory approval.
The North American company has partnered with Chinese AI firm Baidu to add its Apollo Go sixth-generation autonomous vehicles to the Lyft platform, which will allow customers to book the driverless cars via the app in 2026.
The fully-electric RT6 vehicles feature the Apollo ADFM (Autonomous Driving Foundation Model) and “six generations of real-world testing”. Baidu says that the cars have completed more than 11 million rides, with the driverless vehicles operational in 15 cities globally, including locations across mainland China, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Lyft and Baidu aim to have “thousands of vehicles” across Europe following the initial launch, with the two companies working “closely with European regulators and stakeholders to ensure vehicles meet all necessary safety standards and regulatory requirements”.
While Lyft has previously operated solely in the US and Canada, the company is expanding its reach into Europe thanks to last week’s acquisition of European mobility app FREENOW.
Lyft customers will have more access to riders in Europe, while the same is true for FREENOW customers when searching for drivers in North America. The acquisition will also help to accelerate Baidu’s AV deployment across Europe.
David Risher, Lyft CEO, commented:
“Our partnership with Baidu is all about creating a great customer experience. Their extensive track record operating the world’s largest autonomous ride-hailing service means we can bring all the benefits of AVs – safety, reliability, and privacy – to millions of Europeans.”
“It’s part of our hybrid network approach, where AVs and human drivers work together to provide customer-obsessed options for riders. And importantly, we’re committed to working hand-in-hand with local regulators to ensure we deploy these vehicles in their communities in a smart, thoughtful way that benefits everyone.”
Robin Li, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Baidu, added:
“This collaboration represents our commitment to making autonomous mobility accessible worldwide while working with local partners who understand their communities. By integrating Baidu’s cutting-edge autonomous driving technology with Lyft’s platform reach and operational expertise, we’re excited to deliver safer, greener, and more efficient mobility solutions to more users.”
Last year the UK government put the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act into force, a piece of legislation that would enable self-driving vehicles to operate on British roads by 2026.
Lyft is not the only ride-sharing app to deploy such autonomous vehicles. Uber is already operating robotaxis in cities including San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix and Austin in the US thanks to a partnership with Waymo.
Uber is also working with Baidu on rolling out its robotaxis in the Middle East and Asia “later this year”, while it plans to bring driverless taxis to London next spring by teaming up with British artificial intelligence firm Wayve.
