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Lyft ( LYFT ) partners with Baidu ( BIDU ) for European robotaxi deployment

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Firms aim to scale robotaxi fleet to thousands across Europe

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Lyft ( LYFT ) to manage customer services while Baidu ( BIDU ) supplies vehicles

By Akash Sriram

Aug 4 (Reuters) - U.S. ride-hailing company Lyft ( LYFT ) said on Monday it will partner

with China's Baidu ( BIDU ) to deploy robotaxis across Europe starting next year, marking the

Chinese search engine giant's first foray into the European self-driven taxi sector.

The partnership will launch initially in Germany and the United Kingdom, with Baidu's ( BIDU )

electric RT6 robotaxis operating on Lyft's ( LYFT ) platform pending regulatory approval.

The rollout aims to scale to thousands of vehicles across Europe in the coming years,

leveraging Lyft's ( LYFT ) $200 million acquisition of European mobility app FreeNow, completed on

Thursday.

The deal gives Lyft ( LYFT ) access to operations in nine countries and over 180 cities, marking its

first expansion outside North America.

Under the partnership, Lyft ( LYFT ) will operate the platform, managing customer services and

fleet logistics, while Baidu ( BIDU ) will supply autonomous vehicles and technical expertise.

"What we're excited about with FreeNow is they have a deep, long-lasting relationship with

regulators, and we want to go and have those conversations about how we do this," Lyft ( LYFT ) Executive

Vice President of Driver Experience Jeremy Bird told Reuters.

The UK government has fast-tracked its robotaxi timeline and is aiming for initial services

with paying passengers by spring 2026.

Companies such as Uber ( UBER ) and Wayve are also preparing for deployment once

regulatory clearance is granted.

The deal comes as rival Uber ( UBER ) has expanded its global robotaxi efforts, working with Waymo

, Pony.ai, WeRide ( WRD ), and Momenta, with a European launch also set for

2026.

Uber's ( UBER ) global robotaxi presence intensifies pressure on Lyft ( LYFT ) to expand beyond its North

American home market and build its autonomous capabilities.

Baidu's ( BIDU ) Apollo Go service currently operates over 1,000 vehicles across 15 cities globally

and has completed more than 11 million rides, but its partnership with Lyft ( LYFT ) marks its first

commercial move into Europe.