Chinese robotaxis will hit Britain’s roads next year as Uber launches trials.
The ride-hailing company has teamed up with Baidu, the tech giant known as “China’s Google”, to pilot self-driving cars in London.
The trial, a partnership with Baidu’s Apollo Go taxi business, is due to begin in the first half of 2026, with commercial services expected before the end of next year.
Uber said: “We’re excited to accelerate Britain’s leadership in the future of mobility, bringing another safe and reliable travel option to Londoners next year.”
Rival ride-hailing company Lyft separately confirmed it will begin testing autonomous vehicles in London next year.
David Risher, chief executive of Lyft, said the company will start testing with an initial fleet of dozens of Baidu vehicles across both the Lyft and Freenow apps, with plans to scale to hundreds of cars.
Britain is now facing a fierce battle for its roads, with Baidu effectively shut out of the US ahead of a ban on Chinese driverless software expected to take effect in 2027.
By contrast, new laws introduced by Labour have paved the way for self-driving cars and buses to hit the roads from 2026.
Sir Sadiq Khan has also set out his “Vision Zero” goal to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from the capital’s roads by 2041, with driverless cars expected to play a significant role.
Elon Musk’s Tesla is also trialling its technology in the UK, while the Google-owned company started trials this month.
However, the new technology has attracted controversy in the US amid concerns over safety for both passengers and pedestrians.
Protesters torched several Waymo vehicles during riots this summer in Los Angeles, where robotaxis have been blamed for erratic driving and causing traffic jams.
GM last year pulled the plug on its driverless car business despite investing more than $10bn (£7.4bn) in the technology.
That followed a fine over a high-profile incident in which one of the company’s taxis hit a pedestrian and dragged them 20ft along a San Francisco street, leaving them with serious injuries.
Meanwhile, Uber was involved in the first fatal crash involving a self-driving car in 2018, when one of its test vehicles hit a woman in Tempe, Arizona.
The tech giant has since abandoned in-house development of the technology, opting instead to forge partnerships with robotaxi companies.
Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, earlier this month said the company plans to offer driverless services in more than 10 markets by the end of next year.
The flood of Chinese vehicles on Britain’s roads is also expected to trigger geopolitical scrutiny and risks putting the UK on a collision course with the White House.
China hawks have warned that the arrival of self-driving technology from the country raise national security concerns, drawing parallels with banned telecoms giant Huawei.
