Overview

• The two companies formalized their alliance on August 4 to deploy fully electric RT6 autonomous vehicles in Germany and the U.K. beginning in 2026, pending European regulatory clearance.
• Baidu’s Apollo Go program will be Lyft’s first European robotaxi offering, integrating more than a thousand operational AVs and over 11 million completed public rides into Lyft’s platform.
• Lyft’s April acquisition of FreeNow provides a foothold in nine countries and over 180 cities, enabling direct customer access to driverless services.
• Under Lyft’s hybrid network approach, autonomous vehicles will operate alongside human-driven cars to enhance flexibility, safety and service reliability.
• Both Lyft and Baidu plan to work closely with European regulators, including under the UK Automated Vehicles Act, to meet local safety and licensing requirements prior to launch.