Europe will begin to see robotaxis in its streets in 2026. The surprise is that it will not be Waymo who unfolds them

Lyft has taken an unexpected step to compete with Uber in the European market of Robotaxis. The US company has just announced A strategic alliance with China Baidu To display autonomous vehicles in the United Kingdom and Germany From 2026. The play comes after Lyft will buy the German Freeow platform For 197 million dollars, marking its first expansion outside North America.

Robotaxis to the conquest of Europe. While Waymo It is still the world reference in Robotaxis, Europe is becoming the new battlefield for autonomous driving companies. United Kingdom has accelerated its regulatory schedule and hopes to have commercial services working in spring of 2026. Germany also advances to legislate this technology, creating a window of opportunity that several companies want to take advantage of.

Lyft’s strategy. The company had lost ground in front of Uber, which already It has agreements with more than 18 companies of autonomous driving and plans to launch services in Europe the same year. Lyft needed a quick response and has found it in Baidu, whose service Apollo Go It already operates more than 1,000 vehicles in 15 cities and has completed 11 million journeys. The RT6 Baidu, electric vehicles specifically designed to operate without driver, will be integrated into the LYFT application.

A division of labor. Lyft will be in charge of the platform, customer service and fleet logistics, while Baidu will contribute vehicles and autonomous driving technology. It is a strategy that allows Lyft to quickly access proven technology without having to develop it internally, something that both Lyft and Uber They left years ago After initially betting on your own programs.

Between the lines. The entry of Chinese companies into the European autonomous mobility market marks a turning point. While the United States keeps Baidu and other Chinese companies outside its domestic market for national security reasons, Europe is showing a more open attitude (although It depends on the sector). This could give China an important competitive advantage in the development of these services on a global scale.

And now what. That the alliance is successful in our continent will depend on three factors: regulatory approval, the acceptance of the European public towards Chinese autonomous vehicles, and Lyft’s ability to compete with Uber, which will arrive with Waymo and other Western technologies. Everything indicates that, in a few years, Europe will become the hardest battlefield for robotaxis.

Cover image | Waymo

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