By ATN Editorial Team
Summary: Baidu’s Apollo Go has begun autonomous vehicle testing on public roads in London with Freenow by Lyft, running its sixth-generation RT6 with safety operators on board in the borough of Brent.
Key engineering takeaway: The London programme follows Apollo Go’s work in Hong Kong, its first right-hand-drive market, where it received a fully driverless trial permit on 23 July 2026 and began testing on Airport Island on 27 July. Baidu states that is the first fully driverless trial in any right-hand-drive market globally.
Why it matters: Autonomous vehicle testing in Brent covers a mix of urban and suburban driving environments, and builds on Apollo Go’s right-hand-drive testing experience in Hong Kong. Public rides are planned from 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
- Baidu’s Apollo Go and Freenow by Lyft have commenced the testing of Apollo Go’s sixth-gen autonomous vehicle (RT6) in London.
- Initial road testing with safety operators on board will take place in Brent, a borough in west and north-west London.
- Apollo Go and Freenow by Lyft plan to welcome public riders starting in 2027.
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) today announced that its autonomous ride-hailing platform, Apollo Go, has begun road testing in London with Freenow by Lyft. Testing will begin in the borough of Brent with safety operators on board, covering a mix of urban and suburban driving environments. Apollo Go and Freenow by Lyft plan to welcome public riders starting in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
Autonomous Vehicle Testing Begins In Brent
The deployment builds on the strategic partnership announced by Baidu and Lyft in 2025 for Lyft to deploy Apollo Go autonomous vehicles across key European markets through the Lyft platform. Under the partnership, Apollo Go provides the RT6 vehicles and autonomous driving technology, while Freenow by Lyft contributes its local operational expertise to ensure smooth testing and operation of the fleet.
Right-Hand-Drive Experience From Hong Kong
The London program builds on Apollo Go’s testing experience in Hong Kong, its first right-hand-drive market. On July 23, 2026, Apollo Go received the first fully driverless trial permit from Hong Kong’s Transport Department, with testing beginning on Airport Island on July 27. This marks Hong Kong’s first Level 4 autonomous trial on public roads without an on-board safety operator, and the first fully driverless trial in any right-hand-drive market globally. These milestones demonstrate the adaptability of Apollo Go’s autonomous driving technology across diverse road environments.
“The arrival of Apollo Go vehicles in London marks a defining milestone in our global expansion,” said Nan Yang, Vice President of Baidu and General Manager of Overseas Business Unit, Intelligent Driving Group. “Testing our autonomous fleet in one of the world’s most iconic and complex urban environments validates our technology’s maturity and our commitment to this market. By combining our cutting-edge autonomous driving technology with Freenow by Lyft’s local operational expertise, we are officially moving from vision to reality, together.”
Thomas Zimmermann, CEO of Freenow by Lyft, said: “As a platform with deep roots in the taxi industry, our priority is ensuring that autonomous technology supports the professional drivers who keep London moving. By integrating these purpose-built, autonomous vehicles from Baidu’s Apollo Go into the Freenow by Lyft ecosystem, we will give Londoners more sustainable choices to travel, encouraging them to choose shared mobility services over personally-owned vehicles.”
The RT6 vehicles will operate as part of a hybrid network alongside Freenow’s established taxi and private hire vehicles. For riders, this means faster pickup times as the number of vehicles on the platform increases. Research by Censuswide shows a strong appetite for autonomous vehicles among Londoners, with 58% saying they would be likely to try one, and nearly two-thirds of those under 35 are in favor. This research was commissioned by Freenow by Lyft in partnership with Censuswide in March 2026. The survey sampled 3,001 respondents.
The London deployment adds to the rapidly expanding global footprint of Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service. As of April 2026, Apollo Go had provided more than 22 million cumulative rides to the public. In Q1 2026 alone, it completed 3.2 million fully driverless rides, a volume growing at over 120% year-over-year. As of May, Apollo Go’s global footprint spanned 27 cities, and its fleets had accumulated over 330 million autonomous kilometers globally, including more than 220 million fully driverless kilometers, all while maintaining a strong safety record.
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