Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888), a leading AI company with a strong Internet foundation, and Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ: LYFT), one of North America's and Europe's largest transportation networks, today announced a strategic partnership for Lyft to deploy Baidu's Apollo Go autonomous vehicles (AVs) across key European markets through the Lyft platform. This collaboration marks a transformative milestone in Baidu's international expansion and further positions Lyft as a leading AV platform in Europe.
Initial deployments are planned for Germany and the United Kingdom in 2026 pending regulatory approval, with the fleet scaling to thousands of vehicles across Europe in the following years. As part of the agreement, Lyft will deploy Baidu Apollo Go's sixth-generation vehicles as its pioneering autonomous solution in the region.
"Our partnership with Lyft to deploy Apollo Go in Europe, starting with Germany and the United Kingdom, is a significant milestone in our global journey," said Robin Li, Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Baidu. "This collaboration represents our commitment to making autonomous mobility accessible worldwide while working with local partners who understand their communities. By integrating Baidu's cutting-edge autonomous driving technology with Lyft's platform reach and operational expertise, we're excited to deliver safer, greener, and more efficient mobility solutions to more users."
"Our partnership with Baidu is all about creating a great customer experience. Their extensive track record operating the world's largest autonomous ride-hailing service means we can bring all the benefits of AVs — safety, reliability, and privacy — to millions of Europeans," said David Risher, Lyft CEO. "It's part of our hybrid network approach, where AVs and human drivers work together to provide customer-obsessed options for riders. And importantly, we're committed to working hand-in-hand with local regulators to ensure we deploy these vehicles in their communities in a smart, thoughtful way that benefits everyone."
