- Uber and Lyft will launch UK robotaxi trials in 2026.
- London becomes Europe’s key driverless taxi test site.
- Expect slick demos and the occasional chaos.
Robotaxis might be a common sight on the US West Coast, but they’re still sci-fi stuff to Brits and Europeans, whose cabbies are very much human and present. But now Uber Technologies and Lyft have both confirmed plans to bring driverless taxis to the UK, with pilot schemes pencilled in for 2026, pending regulatory approval.
The tech in question comes from Baidu’s Apollo Go division, which already runs large robotaxi fleets in China and claims hundreds of thousands of weekly trips. The plan is for those vehicles to appear on Uber and Lyft apps in London, turning the capital into one of Europe’s most high-profile autonomous proving grounds.
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Lyft says testing will start with dozens of Baudi RT6 minivans before scaling into the hundreds, while Uber is aiming for its own pilot in the first half of 2026.
Both companies have quietly given up trying to build autonomous tech themselves and now prefer to rent the brains from specialists. It’s faster, cheaper, and lets them focus on the app rather than teaching cars how not to panic at zebra crossings.
Why Now?
The timing is no accident. The UK government has accelerated plans to allow limited robotaxi operations from spring 2026, and London’s Vision Zero road safety goals make autonomous tech politically attractive.
In theory, fewer human drivers means fewer human mistakes. In practice, the robotaxis will have to be on top of their game to handle London traffic.
Learning the Hard Way
Robotaxis have already been running in parts of the US for a while, most notably with Waymo, which also wants to launch in the UK next year. And based on what we’ve seen so far, Brits should prepare for moments of quiet brilliance mixed with awkward stand-offs, sudden braking, and the occasional gridlock that only a confused robot can create.
Earlier this month three of Waymo’s fully driverless and autonomous Jaguar iPace SUVs got stuck at an intersection in San Francisco after one hit another, and all three cars were paralysed until a human operator came along to untangle the mess.
It’s official: @lyft and @Baidu_Inc are bringing AVs to London 🇬🇧
Riders across the city will be the first in the region to experience Baidu’s Apollo Go vehicles. We expect to start testing our initial fleet with dozens of vehicles next year – pending regulatory approval -… pic.twitter.com/3hFTq3aoDk
— David Risher (@davidrisher) December 22, 2025
