After years of testing, robotaxis move into limited operation: China and the US lead, the Middle East accelerates, Europe observes and prepares the rules. A new expansion is planned for 2026
Tech and mobility companies are accelerating the adoption of driverless vehicles, anticipating a radical redesign of urban transportation. We are clearly talking about the so-called robotaxis, which with the progressive opening of international regulations, are moving from the testing phase with a safety pilot to the commercial one, from the USA to Asia. Here are the main tests and robotaxi operations around the world. In this article we will discuss the main companies operating in the sector.
UBER, LYFT AND BAIDU
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Uber and Lyft have partnered with the Chinese tech Baidu in December to test the vehicles Apollo Go RT6 with self-driving taxi trials in the UK starting in 2026.
United Kingdom, European laboratory: Wayve and Uber
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Great Britain is a candidate to be one of Europe’s testing grounds. Wayvea British startup supported among others by SoftBank and Nvidia, has already put an agreement on track with Uber: advanced trials in the United Kingdom with the ambition of reaching completely driverless tests in 2026. It is a key step: as long as there is a safety driver, the experiment remains close to a technical test; when the driver disappears, rules and responsibilities really come into play.
weride
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WeRide and Uber last November launched Level 4-compliant robotaxi operations Abu Dhabi and, a month later, they started robotaxi passenger rides on the Uber platform in Dubai. A driverless commercial launch in Dubai is expected in early 2026. The company said it has started testing its robotaxis in Singapore, while its AV ride-hailing service Ai.R is in trials ahead of a public launch in early 2026. The Chinese company also obtained a driverless robotaxi permit in November in Swiss and started services on the Uber platform in Riyadh in October. Earlier this year it expanded robotaxi services in parts of Guangzhou and Beijing.
zoox
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Zoox, the Amazon’s self-driving divisionbegan offering free rides to a select group of users in some areas of San Francisco. It also launched its own autonomous ride-hailing service on the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas in September, offering free rides to the public while it awaits state approval to charge fares.
baidu and pony.ai: Chinese dominance
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At home, the Chinese big players play in a context where large-scale tests are already a reality in multiple cities. Apollo Go by Baidu partnered with Emirates-based autonomous mobility company Autogo in November to test self-driving vehicles in Abu Dhabi with the city’s Integrated Transport Centre, with plans to expand and start commercial operations by 2026. In China, Baidu had won the first permissions to commercially offer fully driverless robotaxi services in August 2022, allowing Apollo Go to operate without safety drivers in Chongqing and Wuhan. It has since expanded to Shenzhen and Beijing. The company also obtained a permit to test the Apollo Go robotaxi in Hong Kong in November 2024. It has also partnered with PostBus (Swiss Post) in October to launch the AmiGo robotaxi service in eastern Switzerland, with full operation expected in early 2027. The Chinese company Pony.ai launched paid robotaxi services in Guangzhou in February, in Shanghai in August, and received its first city-wide permit in October Shenzhen. It also began testing seventh-generation robotaxis in Beijing in July. In January, the company said it was planning a launch of the robotaxi service in Hong Konginitially intended for airport staff within Hong Kong International Airport.
waymo
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Alphabet’s autonomous driving division, Waymo, with Baidu is one of the most advanced companies in the sector. In October it said it would launch an autonomous ride-hailing service in London in 2026. The company started services in the United States in Phoenix in October 2020, a San Francisco in June 2024 and to Los Angeles in November 2024. A Tokyoin April, began a collaboration with Japanese taxi and limousine operator Nihon Kotsu to test autonomous vehicles in seven districts, with drivers manually operating the vehicles in the initial phase.
tesla and momenta
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Tesla has started a limited paid robotaxi ad service Austin, Texasin June, using Model Y SUVs in a restricted city area and requiring an on-board safety officer. The company led by Elon Musk is also testing vehicles without safety officers. The company also operates a ride-hailing service in the Bay Area San Francisco and obtained a permit to operate in November Arizona. Moment itanother company operating in the driverless car sector, entered into a partnership with Grab, a Singaporean company, in December. The company has also partnered with Mercedes and Emirati taxi operator Lumo to launch a luxury robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi in December. Operations are expected to begin in 2026, with plans to expand to other global markets.
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