london could be getting robotaxis sooner than anyone expected, Photo Credit LyftPhoto Credit: LyftLyft and Baidu have started testing robotaxis in London with Freenow, marking the next step in a European autonomous-vehicle partnership first outlined last year. The vehicles are Baidu's Apollo Go RT6 robotaxis. For now, test drivers will be aboard.That detail matters. Early London activity is still testing, rather than a full commercial driverless service, and the companies are positioning the rollout around regulatory coordination before public rides begin.AdvertisementAdvertisementBaidu's Apollo Go RT6 vehicles will begin appearing in the UK capital while Lyft and Freenow handle passenger booking from next year. Freenow is the German taxi company Lyft now owns, and it gives the project an existing taxi and private-hire network to connect with as autonomous vehicles move toward service.Dozens of Baidu Apollo Go RT6 vehicles will operate in the Brent borough of London as part of the tests, the companies said in a press release. As a result, Londoners in that area will become the first to see the Baidu vehicles operating under the Lyft-Freenow partnership.The network is planned to operate alongside Freenow's established taxi and private-hire business. However, that does not make the service immediately open to the general public. The Baidu robotaxi service will be called Freenow by Lyft and expects to invite the public to reserve rides sometime in 2027.The timeline remains conditional. The exact schedule will depend on regulatory approval, with coordination involving Transport for London and the UK government. Meanwhile, the UK government is drafting autonomous-vehicle rules and has recently launched a robotaxi pilot program.AdvertisementAdvertisementLyft uses Freenow as its European leverLyft's Freenow acquisition now has a clear strategic role in the robotaxi plan. Lyft bought Freenow last year to accelerate its European autonomous-vehicle ambitions by using Freenow's large taxi network in the UK and Germany.Therefore, the London testing program is more than a single-city trial. It is part of a broader Lyft-Baidu partnership aimed at eventually deploying thousands of autonomous vehicles across Europe, according to the companies' announcement.That scale target puts the London project into a wider competitive frame. The capital is becoming a proving ground for several robotaxi operators, and each participant is approaching the city with human oversight first.AdvertisementAdvertisementLondon's robotaxi race tightensLyft and Baidu are not alone in choosing London for autonomous testing. Earlier this year, Waymo started testing Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in the city with human safety operators aboard.In addition, Uber and its self-driving partner Wayve are preparing to launch trials this year. They are also allowing customers to sign up on an interest list, according to the same report.The pattern is consistent. Human safety operators and test drivers remain part of the first phase, while public ride access sits behind regulatory approval and staged deployment plans. For consumers, that means London robotaxis are becoming visible before they become broadly bookable.AdvertisementAdvertisementBaidu's Apollo Go RT6 is the vehicle to watch in this specific rollout, because it is the model tied directly to the Lyft-Freenow service plan. However, the booking layer is just as important as the vehicle itself: Lyft and Freenow will manage passenger access when the companies move beyond testing.For now, the near-term takeaway is straightforward. Baidu robotaxis are entering London testing with drivers aboard, Lyft is using Freenow to connect the service to an existing European taxi network, and public reservations are targeted for 2027 pending approval. The London robotaxi market is moving from announcement to road testing.
