Uber, Baidu to trial robotaxis in UK by 2026

Uber will launch driverless taxi trials in London through a partnership with Baidu, starting in the first half of 2026.

Baidu, based in China, will provide its Apollo Go RT6 robotaxis for the pilot program.

This move follows Waymo, which began driverless taxi tests in London earlier this month.

Uber’s CEO has said the company aims to offer driverless services in over 10 markets by the end of next year.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Uber and Baidu plan driverless taxi trials in 2026, while the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 still needs secondary rules to define the self-driving test and authorisation process 1.
Government consultation runs to March 2026 2, full regulations land in 2027 3, which may slow approvals for foreign Autonomous Vehicle (AV) providers as the Act grants wide investigatory powers and requires authorised self-driving entities to be of good repute and financial standing 1.
The Act splits trips into user-in-charge and no-user-in-charge journeys, with the latter needing a licensed operator 4. Uber’s 2026 pilot may use safety drivers or run driverless, based on how it fits these rules.

UK GDPR and data localisation vendors can pitch to robotaxi operators as the Act sets data sharing duties plus information-gathering powers, including sharing with insurers with civil sanctions for breaches 5.
Rules require timestamped vehicle data on autonomous status during incidents 2. UNECE R155 on cybersecurity and R156 on software updates mandate a cybersecurity management system from 2024 6, which creates demand for secure data logging that fits automotive cybersecurity standards plus UK data protection rules.
Waymo is already testing in London, with at least one 2026 launch planned. Cybersecurity firms can build around GDPR Article 32 on security of processing 7 with encryption, penetration testing, plus protection against hacking risks that have led to lawsuits against Tesla 8.