Baidu's Apollo Go begins autonomous vehicle testing in London

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) has started road testing its sixth-generation autonomous vehicle, the RT6, in London through its ride-hailing platform Apollo Go, in partnership with Freenow by Lyft.

Initial testing is taking place in Brent, a borough in west and north-west London, with safety operators on board. The vehicles will operate across a mix of urban and suburban driving environments. Apollo Go and Freenow by Lyft plan to open the service to public riders in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.

The London deployment follows a strategic partnership announced by Baidu and Lyft in 2025, under which Apollo Go provides the RT6 vehicles and autonomous driving technology, while Freenow by Lyft contributes local operational expertise. The RT6 vehicles will operate as part of a hybrid network alongside Freenow's existing taxi and private hire vehicles.

The London program follows Apollo Go's testing activity in Hong Kong, its first right-hand-drive market. On July 23, 2026, Apollo Go received a fully driverless trial permit from Hong Kong's Transport Department, with testing beginning on Airport Island on July 27. The company describes this as Hong Kong's first Level 4 autonomous trial on public roads without an on-board safety operator.

As of April 2026, Apollo Go had provided more than 22 million cumulative rides. In the first quarter of 2026, it completed 3.2 million fully driverless rides, a figure the company says grew more than 120% year-over-year. As of May 2026, Apollo Go operated across 27 cities, with fleets accumulating over 330 million autonomous kilometers globally, including more than 220 million fully driverless kilometers.

A survey of 3,001 London respondents commissioned by Freenow by Lyft and conducted by Censuswide in March 2026 found that 58% said they would be likely to try an autonomous vehicle, with nearly two-thirds of respondents under 35 expressing support.

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