Uber Technologies announced a collaboration with Baidu to conduct a pilot program for autonomous taxis in the UK, following the footsteps of Waymo, a U.S.-based self-driving technology company that recently launched a testing initiative in London this month.

Uber stated on Monday that it plans to launch the pilot project in London in the first half of 2026, utilizing Baidu's Apollo Go RT6 autonomous taxis, with full commercial operations expected by the end of next year.

The global deployment of autonomous taxi projects is accelerating, with Chinese companies like Baidu and WeRide, as well as Alphabet's Waymo, leading the charge.

Uber and WeRide have already begun autonomous operations in Abu Dhabi and plan to expand to other regions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Baidu is currently conducting tests in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Switzerland.