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Apollo Go robotaxiBaidu Apollo Go—Apollo Go robotaxiBaidu Apollo Go—
Apollo Go robotaxi
Photo: S5A-0043 · CC BY 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)

Apollo Go robotaxi

by Baidu Apollo GoCN

ScalingStage 5 of 5

~350k weekly rides at peak (Mar 2026) across 27 cities; expanding in the Middle East and Europe.

Updated Mar 2026Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · European pilots (London, Switzerland)
  1. Fully driverless commercial rides in WuhanAug 2022Complete.
  2. RT6 sixth-generation vehicle unveiledMay 2024Complete.
  3. Partnerships with Uber and Lyft for international marketsAug 2025Complete.
  4. App launched in Dubai; fully driverless rides beginMar 2026Complete.
  5. European pilots (London, Switzerland)Target 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

  • Mar 2026
  • 27 Feb 2026
  • 4 Aug 2025
  • 29 Nov 2024
  • 15 May 2024

Upcoming

  1. 2026European pilots (London, Switzerland) (next)
  2. 2026Apollo Go cars on Lyft in Germany and the UK, per the August 2025 deal

Current obstacles

  • GeopoliticsChinese self-driving firms face limits in the US and scrutiny in Europe over data and connected-car security.

Physics limits

  • People are not fully predictableA car must guess what pedestrians, cyclists and drivers will do next. That future is uncertain, so planners must keep safety margins that cost speed in dense traffic.
  • Proving safety takes vast mileageUS drivers average about one fatal crash per 100 million miles. Showing a robot driver is safer with statistical confidence takes hundreds of millions of driverless miles (RAND estimated ~275M).
  • Each new city is new dataDriving models generalise imperfectly: road rules, signs and local habits differ, so each city needs fresh data and validation before cars can drive alone.

How it works

3 parts
An Apollo Go RT6 testing in Hong Kong (cropped): the car is built around its sensors, with lidar and cameras in the roof line and nose
An Apollo Go RT6 testing in Hong Kong (cropped): the car is built around its sensors, with lidar and cameras in the roof line and nosePhoto: LN9267 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Vehicle

Built as a robotaxi

The RT6 is an electric car designed around its sensors, with a removable steering wheel; Baidu put its cost under 200,000 yuan (about $28,000).

Sensors

Overlapping 360° view

Several lidars, cameras and radars give overlapping all-round coverage, so one blocked sensor doesn't blind the car.

Remote

Remote assistance

Remote staff can guide a stuck car, with one person watching several cars at once.

Update log

5 updates

Mar 2026

  • Minor: PressCommercial

Fri 27 Feb

  • Major: FilingCommercial

Mon 4 Aug 2025

  • Major: PressPartnership

Fri 29 Nov 2024

  • Minor: PressRegulatory

Wed 15 May 2024

  • Minor: PressHardware

About Baidu Apollo Go

The team behind Apollo Go robotaxi

Baidu Apollo Go

Driverless ride-hailing in China and abroad

Baidu's Apollo Go is China's largest robotaxi service, running fully driverless cars in Wuhan and many other cities, and expanding to the Middle East and Europe with Uber and Lyft.

  • Gave about 3.2 million fully driverless rides in Q1 2026, peaking above 350,000 a week in March.
  • Operates in 27 cities worldwide, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
  • The low-cost RT6 car has its self-driving kit built in, at a fraction of earlier costs.

apollogo.com (opens apollogo.com)Company profile →

Founded
20206 yrs
Headquarters
China
Status
Subsidiaryof Baidu
Valuation
Baidu-owned
Works in
VehiclesRobotaxisAI
Coverage
1 program · 5 updateslatest 1 Mar 2026checked 25 Sep
Customers
Dubai RTA (opens rta.ae)
Partners
Uber (opens uber.com)Lyft (opens lyft.com)
People
Robin Li (opens en.wikipedia.org)Baidu Co-founder and CEO
Primer