Baidu and Lyft begin road testing in London for Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing vehicles using the Freenow platform, which Lyft acquired in 2025. According to the reports, the testing centers on Apollo Go’s sixth-generation autonomous vehicle, the RT6. The initial trials involve supervised road driving with safety operators on board, a setup described as part of the early-stage testing process.
Testing starts in Brent, a borough in west and north-west London. The sources indicate that Apollo Go vehicles will be made available through Freenow, linking Baidu’s self-driving technology with Lyft’s mobility network. While the reports do not provide detailed timelines for expansion beyond the initial area, they consistently frame the start of road testing as the beginning of on-street evaluation in London under safety oversight.
Overall, the coverage aligns on the parties involved—Baidu and Lyft/Freenow—the London launch of on-road tests, the Apollo Go RT6 vehicle generation, and the use of safety operators during early road trials.
