Baidu to Test Robotaxis in Switzerland by December, Targets Steering Wheel-Free Operations by 2027

TradingKey - Baidu (BIDU) announced on Wednesday that its autonomous driving division will commence driving tests in Switzerland this December. Baidu's "Apollo Go" will collaborate with Swiss public transport operator PostBus to introduce the autonomous travel service "AmiGo" in the region.

The two companies aim to achieve regular, fully driverless operations by the first quarter of 2027, utilizing Apollo Go's RT6 electric model. Baidu stated that the vehicles will have their steering wheels removed once officially operational.

AmiGo's launch is intended to address service gaps in areas with dispersed travel demand, such as the eastern regions of Switzerland around Lake Constance and the Alpine foothills.

This test, scheduled to begin in December, represents Baidu's most concrete step yet in introducing autonomous taxis to Europe.

Previously, Baidu has established multiple partnerships. Starting in 2026, Baidu plans to deploy autonomous taxis in the UK and Germany through its collaboration with ride-hailing platform Lyft. Later this year, Baidu will expand its driverless travel services to several global markets outside mainland China and the US through a partnership with Uber.

Other autonomous driving companies are also racing to expand into Europe and the Middle East. Pony.ai will collaborate with Stellantis to conduct tests in Luxembourg within a few months and extend to other European cities. Alphabet's Waymo plans to introduce services in the UK next year, while Uber will partner with autonomous driving startup Wayve to begin trial runs in the UK in the coming year.

According to official data, as of August, Baidu's autonomous taxi service, Apollo Go, has provided over 14 million rides across 16 global cities, including Hong Kong, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.