Apollo Go begins RT6 road tests in London with Freenow, targeting public rides in 2027

Headline Finding

Baidu’s Apollo Go has begun road testing its sixth-generation RT6 autonomous vehicle in London’s borough of Brent, in partnership with Lyft-owned European mobility platform Freenow — marking the first deployment of a Chinese robotaxi operator on European public roads. Safety operators are on board during this phase, with public rides targeted for 2027 subject to regulatory approval. The move follows extensive discussions with Transport for London and the UK’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and builds on a Baidu–Lyft strategic partnership announced in 2025. It is a significant velocity marker: the technology and deployment clock has moved into a new regulatory jurisdiction, while the governance clock — TfL permitting, CCAV oversight, liability frameworks — must now accelerate to match.

Detail

Apollo Go and Freenow announced on 28 July 2026 that RT6 vehicles are now undergoing road tests in the London borough of Brent, covering a mix of urban and suburban driving environments. Safety operators are present in the vehicles during this phase. The two companies plan to open the service to public riders in 2027, contingent on regulatory approvals from UK authorities. The partnership structure divides responsibilities: Baidu supplies the RT6 vehicles and autonomous driving technology, while Freenow contributes local operational expertise. Freenow and Lyft have held extensive discussions with Transport for London (TfL) and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) ahead of the launch.

The London programme builds on Apollo Go’s recent milestone in Hong Kong, where on 23 July 2026 it received the first fully driverless trial permit from Hong Kong’s Transport Department — the first Level 4 autonomous trial on public roads without an on-board safety operator in any right-hand-drive market globally. Testing in Hong Kong began on Airport Island on 27 July 2026. London is Apollo Go’s first European deployment and extends its right-hand-drive market experience beyond Hong Kong.

In London, RT6 vehicles will operate as part of a hybrid network alongside Freenow’s established taxi and private hire vehicles, with pickup times expected to improve as fleet size grows. A Censuswide survey conducted in March 2026 on behalf of Freenow found that 48% of Londoners have never ridden in an autonomous vehicle, yet 58% said they would be likely to try one; among respondents under 35, nearly two-thirds are in favour of autonomous vehicles being available in the capital.

As of April 2026, Apollo Go had provided more than 22 million cumulative rides to the public. In Q1 2026 alone it completed 3.2 million fully driverless rides, a volume growing at over 120% year-on-year. As of May 2026, Apollo Go’s footprint spanned 27 cities globally, and its fleets had accumulated ove r 330 million autonomous kilometres, including more than 220 million fully driverless kilometres.

Governance Implication

1. The technology/deployment clock has moved materially: Apollo Go’s entry into London — a major Western European capital with a complex, high-density road network — represents a new geographic and regulatory frontier. The governance clock (TfL permitting, CCAV safety standards, UK liability law, data-sharing requirements) must now catch up to a live testing programme already on public roads.
2. The legitimacy lever is under active pressure: the Censuswide survey data (48% of Londoners never having ridden in an AV, yet 58% willing to try) signals a public that is open but uninformed — a window for governance to shape trust through transparent permitting and public reporting requirements before commercial launch in 2027.
3. The spatial-allocation lever is engaged: RT6 vehicles operating within Freenow’s hybrid network will compete for curb access, pick-up/drop-off zones, and road space in Brent alongside licensed taxis and private hire vehicles. TfL’s existing curb-management and private hire licensing frameworks were not designed for this hybrid model and will require adaptation.
4. The Baidu–Lyft partnership structure — Chinese AV technology, US-owned European platform, UK regulatory oversight — creates a multi-jurisdictional accountability gap. CCAV and TfL must determine which entity bears safety and data-governance obligations, a question the current UK AV Act framework has not fully resolved for foreign-manufactured systems.
5. Apollo Go’s 120%-year-on-year growth in fully driverless rides and 27-city footprint as of mid-2026 illustrates the pace differential between deployment velocity and regulatory capacity: London’s 2027 public-ride target gives regulators roughly 12 months to build a fit-for-purpose permitting and oversight regime from a standing start.

Sources

https://cnevpost.com/2026/07/28/baidu-apollo-go-robotaxi-road-tests-london/ https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/baidu-apollo-go-freenow-london-robotaxi-testing/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/baidu-apollo-go-starts-road-tests-london-2026-07-28/