This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and Lyft Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) are pushing further into autonomous mobility by separately partnering with Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) to trial driverless taxis in the UK, as ride-hailing platforms look to position themselves for the next phase of urban transport. Uber said Monday that a pilot using Baidu’s Apollo Go RT6 robotaxis is set to begin in London in the first half of 2026, with commercial services in the city expected before the end of next year. In parallel, Lyft Chief Executive Officer David Risher said in a post on X that Lyft plans to test dozens of the same vehicles in the UK next year, pending regulatory approval.
These initiatives come as robotaxi rollouts continue to expand globally, led by Chinese companies such as Baidu and Weride Inc., alongside Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo. Uber and Weride have already launched driverless operations in Abu Dhabi and are planning additional expansion across the Middle East, while Baidu is running autonomous trials in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Switzerland. Waymo also began testing in London this month, highlighting how autonomous driving developers are increasingly operating across borders as they seek regulatory pathways and commercial scale.
Uber exited internal autonomous driving development in 2020 and has since focused on partnerships with specialized robotaxi operators. Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said in a Bloomberg Television interview this month that Uber plans to offer driverless services in more than 10 markets by the end of next year. Lyft appears to be following a similar approach and has already signed an agreement with Baidu to roll out robotaxis in Europe, while Grab is partnering with Weride and Momenta in Southeast Asia. Even so, the long-term profitability of the robotaxi model remains uncertain, with listed autonomous vehicle companies such as Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) and Weride still reporting losses after raising funds through share sales.
