Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) and Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT), announced plans to launch autonomous taxi services in Europe, sending both companies’ shares higher on Monday. Baidu’s stock gained nearly 3% in premarket trading, while Lyft rose about 4.5% following the news.
Under the new partnership, the companies intend to deploy robotaxis in the U.K. and Germany beginning in 2026, with a long-term goal of expanding to thousands of vehicles across Europe in subsequent years. The rollout will depend on regulatory approvals in target markets, and it remains uncertain whether the service will integrate with FreeNow, a European ride-hailing platform recently acquired by Lyft. FreeNow currently operates in over 150 cities across nine European countries.
For Lyft, which has had limited European presence to date, the collaboration could provide a crucial foothold in the region and strengthen its ability to compete with established rivals such as Uber and Bolt. Meanwhile, the partnership furthers Baidu’s strategy to expand its Apollo Go robotaxi technology globally. Apollo Go has been operating commercially in several Chinese cities, including Beijing, since 2021.
This deal follows Baidu’s recent agreement with Uber to expand driverless vehicle deployments outside mainland China and the U.S., with a focus on Asia and the Middle East. Lyft’s new alliance positions it to join Europe’s growing race toward autonomous mobility, where other players like Uber and Wayve are preparing to test self-driving services as early as spring 2026.
The post Baidu and Lyft Team Up to Bring Robotaxis to Europe by 2026 appeared first on PRISM MarketView.
