Baidu to test its robotaxis in Switzerland as the race for self-driving taxis in Europe heats up

Baidu, the Chinese technology powerhouse, has revealed plans to kick off test drives for its robotaxi service in Switzerland this December, intensifying the competition for self-driving vehicles across Europe. The initiative, spearheaded by its Apollo Go division, will see a collaboration with PostBus, a key player in Swiss public transportation, through a strategic partnership. The ambitious goal set for the first quarter of 2027 is to roll out a fully driverless taxi service branded as "AmiGo," utilizing Apollo Go's RT6 electric vehicles. According to Baidu's announcement, the eventual aim is to eliminate the steering wheels from these autonomous cars once they are operational. This announcement marks the most definitive progress Baidu has made in its efforts to operate robotaxis on European streets. Earlier this year, the company outlined plans to collaborate with Lyft for deploying robotaxis in the U.K. and Germany beginning in 2026. Furthermore, in July, Baidu also formed a partnership with Uber to integrate its Apollo Go robotaxis with the ride-hailing platform outside of the U.S. and mainland China later this year. The race to dominate the European robotaxi market is heating up as other companies advance their own ambitions. Recently, Pony.ai, another Chinese robotaxi operator, disclosed its plans to team up with Stellantis to commence tests in Luxembourg within the coming months, with aspirations to extend operations to additional European cities next year. In a parallel move, Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google’s parent company Alphabet, announced its intentions to initiate tests in London, aiming to launch its autonomous taxi service there by next year. Uber has also indicated plans to begin trials of fully autonomous rides in the U.K. by spring 2026, collaborating with the self-driving tech startup Wayve backed by SoftBank.