Uber and Baidu join forces to launch driverless rides outside US and China

Uber

Uber and Chinese tech giant Baidu have announced a multi-year strategic partnership that will bring Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles (AVs) to Uber’s ride-hailing platform in global markets outside the U.S. and mainland China. The deal aims to increase the availability of affordable and reliable rides by integrating Baidu’s fully driverless cars into Uber’s network.

Initial rollouts are expected later this year in Asia and the Middle East. Riders in select cities may soon see an option to take a trip in an Apollo Go vehicle—without a human driver.

Apollo Go, already the world’s largest autonomous ride-hailing service, operates over 1,000 driverless vehicles in 15 cities including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. As of May 2025, Baidu says it has provided more than 11 million autonomous rides globally. The company touts its strong safety record and technological maturity as key differentiators in a fast-growing market.

“This partnership with Uber is a major milestone in taking our autonomous technology global,” said Baidu CEO Robin Li. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi echoed the sentiment, saying the deal “brings together two of the world’s most iconic technology companies to help shape the future of mobility.”

Uber’s global presence across mobility, delivery, and freight gives it a unique distribution channel for AV tech, said the company. For Baidu, the alliance opens up access to international riders and new regulatory environments without having to build localised consumer services from scratch.

Notably, the partnership excludes the US and China—markets with tight AV regulations and strong local competition. But with Uber’s scale and Baidu’s AV fleet, the companies hope to accelerate real-world deployments in emerging global markets.