Uber and Lyft announce plans to trial Chinese robotaxis in UK in 2026

Chinese robotaxis could be set to hit UK roads in 2026 as ride-sharing apps Uber and Lyft announce partnerships with Baidu to trial the tech.

The two companies are hoping to obtain approval from regulators to test the autonomous vehicles in London.

Baidu's Apollo Go driverless taxi service already operates in dozens of cities, mostly in China, and has accrued millions of rides without a human behind the wheel.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the news was "another vote of confidence in our plans for self-driving vehicles" - but many remain sceptical about their safety.

Self-driving vehicles have often been lauded as the future of transport, with some claiming they make fewer errors than human drivers.

But many people remain uneasy about the safety of taxis without a human operator.

Almost 60% of UK respondents to a YouGov poll in October said they would not feel comfortable riding in a driverless taxi under any circumstances.

Many also expressed a lack of trust in the tech, with 85% saying they would opt for a cab with a human driver if given the same price and convenience.

Instances of autonomous vehicles making mistakes, trapping passengers in cars and causing traffic jams or accidents also continue to make headlines.

Self-driving taxi operator Waymo reportedly suspended its service in San Francisco on Saturday after some of its vehicles stopped working during a power cut.

Prof Stilgoe said amid concerns about their safety, as well as privacy and the potential to add to congestion, the UK should lead in "setting standards for the technology".

"London has been really successful at getting cars out of its city centre," he said.

"When it comes to traffic, the only thing worse than a single-occupancy car is a zero-occupancy one."

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