ROBOTAXIS
BAIDU ROBOTAXI FALLS INTO CONSTRUCTION PIT IN CHINA RAISING SAFETY CONCERNS
A Baidu autonomous taxi has sparked a wave of safety fears after footage showed the vehicle at the bottom of a large construction pit in the Chinese city of Chongqing. The incident, which has been widely shared online, shows a female passenger safely climbing out of the pit with the help of onlookers. The Baidu cab, with Apollo Go branding, is visible lying sideways in the trench. How the incident occurred remains unknown, with no official statement from Baidu. According to Chinese media, the site was marked with barriers and signs that the taxi’s sensors should have detected. However, the video appears to show an open pit with
no clear barriers, allowing pedestrians and other road users to approach the unprotected edge. The danger of unmarked pits to AVs has been a known issue in the industry. In 2023, U.S. media outlet,
The Intercept, reported on internal chats from General Motors’ now- defunct Cruise operation, which revealed that its AVs struggled to detect large holes, including “large construction pits with workers inside.” A report stated this was con- sidered “a major flaw,” with Cruise estimating that one of its taxis would likely drive into an unoccupied pit about once a year. Baidu’s Apollo Go driverless service operates in 15 cities and has over 1,000 taxis. The company has ambitious global expansion plans, including recent deals with Uber and Lyft to deploy thousands of its robotaxis in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
LYFT PARTNERS WITH BAIDU TO LAUNCH ROBOTAXIS IN EUROPE
US ride-hailing company, Lyft, has announced a strategic partnership with China’s Baidu to introduce AVs to several European markets starting in 2026. The companies aim to
launch their robotaxi
services in Germany and the UK, pending regulatory approval. This move marks a significant step in Lyft’s international expansion, following its recent acquisition of FREENOW, a German multi- mobility app. The acquisition, valued at approximately £149m, has given Lyft access to nine new countries in Europe, allowing it to compete more directly with its rival, Uber, which has long had a global presence. Under the agreement, Baidu’s RT6
PHTM SEPTEMBER 2025
vehicles, equipped with the Apollo Go self-driving system, will be integrated into the Lyft app. The initial deployment will be followed by a scaled expansion to “thousands of vehicles” across Europe in the coming years. This strategy reflects a broader trend among ride-hailing com- panies, which are increasingly partnering with AV developers rather than creating their own in- house technology. While Lyft has not pursued partner- ships at the same pace as Uber, it has made several key agreements in the past year. In addition to the Baidu deal, Lyft plans to add autonomous shuttles from Austrian manufacturer Benteler Group to its
network in late 2026 and to deploy AVs from May Mobility in Atlanta later this year. Baidu’s partnership with Lyft is non-exclusive, meaning Baidu could potentially work with other ride-hailing companies, including Uber, in the same markets in the future.
Uber itself recently announced a similar deal with Baidu to deploy driverless cars in Asia and the Middle East. With over 11 million rides com- pleted in China, Baidu is actively seeking to expand its services in other countries, including Switzer- land, Singapore, and Malaysia, by partnering with various mobility service providers and fleet operators.
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