Overview

• Lyft will deploy Baidu’s sixth-generation Apollo Go autonomous vehicles via its platform in Germany and the United Kingdom from 2026 pending regulatory approval.
• Under the partnership, Baidu will supply and support the vehicle fleet while Lyft manages platform operations, customer service and fleet logistics through FreeNow.
• The alliance builds on Lyft’s April acquisition of German taxi-dispatch service FreeNow for about €175 million to secure access to nine European markets.
• Baidu’s Apollo Go fleet already operates over 1,000 vehicles across 15 Chinese cities and has completed more than 11 million rides.
• Plans call for scaling the robotaxi network to thousands of vehicles across Europe once national safety, data-privacy and liability frameworks are established.