Baidu began robotaxi road tests in London this week1,3,10, CaoCao launched fully driverless trials in Hangzhou14, and documented safety gaps at emergency scenes remain unresolved2.
Why it matters
London is now hosting parallel robotaxi trials from at least three distinct technology stacks. Baidu's Apollo Go RT6 vehicles began testing in the borough of Brent on Tuesday with human safety operators. Waymo started its own London testing with safety operators in April6. Uber and its self-driving partner Wayve are preparing to launch trials in London this year, with customers already able to sign up on an interest list. ANALYSIS The convergence of three well-funded autonomy programs on a single European city compresses the regulatory timeline: Transport for London and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles are now fielding discussions with multiple operators simultaneously.
The big picture
Baidu's London entry is structured through Lyft and Freenow, the German taxi and multi-mobility app that Lyft acquired in 2025 for about $197 million. The aim is to eventually deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles across Europe. Thomas Zimmermann, CEO of Freenow by Lyft, framed the arrangement as one where "autonomous technology supports the professional drivers who keep London moving". ◆ That language is calibrated for a city whose licensed taxi trade has historically resisted app-based disruption; it positions the robotaxi fleet as a complement, not a replacement.
Meanwhile, the domestic Chinese market is moving faster. CaoCao Inc. launched robotaxi testing without a safety driver behind the wheel on public roads in Hangzhou's Binjiang District on July 27. Every test vehicle is connected to CaoCao's Zhixing RAS Remote Safety Service Platform, which provides continuous safety monitoring, emergency call response, real-time remote assistance, and incident handling. Baidu itself won its first fully driverless testing permit in Hong Kong last week — described as the first fully driverless trial in any right-hand-drive market globally.
ANALYSIS The gap between London's safety-operator-required trials and Hangzhou's operator-free testing illustrates a regulatory divergence that Chinese AV firms are navigating in parallel. In London, Baidu, Waymo, and Uber-Wayve all operate with human safety operators behind the wheel. In Hangzhou, CaoCao's vehicles run without one, relying instead on remote supervision. The two approaches coexist within the same companies' global portfolios.
Between the lines
That divergence matters because documented safety challenges persist. NHTSA has warned that robotaxis may misread smoke, cones, flashing lights, and first responders at emergency scenes. At such scenes, "the wrong stop can block an ambulance, narrow a fire engine's path or place a vehicle where responders are trying to work". On June 20, 2026, an unoccupied Zoox autonomous vehicle encountered heavy smoke at an active fire scene before traffic cones had closed the area. According to the federal recall report, the Zoox vehicle entered the scene, braked hard while trying to steer away, and stopped; a remote teleguidance operator then guided it backward. Zoox recalled automated-driving software used in 105 vehicles and released updated software to affected public-road vehicles on July 15. ◆ These edge cases grow more consequential as fleets scale and safety operators are removed — precisely the trajectory now underway in China.
The partnership architectures also reveal strategic calculation. Baidu is entering Europe not under its own consumer brand but through Freenow by Lyft, embedding Chinese AV technology inside a Western ride-hailing interface. The RT6 vehicles will operate as part of a hybrid network alongside Freenow's established taxi and private hire vehicles. Lyft's $197 million acquisition of Freenow gave it a European footprint; Baidu's technology gives that footprint an autonomy layer.
Baidu's operational scale in China provides context for the London entry. As of April 2026, Apollo Go had provided more than 22 million cumulative rides to the public. In the first quarter, Apollo Go completed 3.2 million fully driverless rides, growing at over 120% year-on-year. As of May, Apollo Go's fleets had accumulated more than 220 million fully driverless kilometers across 27 cities globally. On July 23, Apollo Go received the first fully driverless trial permit from Hong Kong's Transport Department. ◆ London's initial deployment of dozens of RT6 vehicles represents a fraction of that operational base, but it establishes a beachhead in a market where regulatory approval — not technology — is the binding constraint.
A Censuswide survey conducted in March on behalf of Freenow found that 48% of Londoners have never ridden in an autonomous vehicle, while 58% said they would be likely to try one. Among respondents under 35, nearly two-thirds are in favor of autonomous vehicles being available in London.
What's next
Baidu and Freenow by Lyft expect to invite the public to hail robotaxis in London in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. Uber and Wayve's London service — initially with safety operators — is targeted for launch this year. The UK government opened applications in May for companies interested in an AV pilot program. Lyft and Freenow continue discussions with Transport for London and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. ANALYSIS The next twelve months will test whether London's regulators treat these parallel trials as a managed competition or impose a single framework. In China, the question is different: how quickly the removal of safety operators scales beyond controlled districts like Binjiang into broader commercial service.