China’s Baidu plans driverless taxi expansion to Europe, Turkey: report – Turkish Minute

Chinese internet giant Baidu is preparing to test its driverless ride-hailing service Apollo Go for the first time in Europe and Turkey, marking its latest effort to expand overseas amid rising competition at home, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The Beijing-based company has been in talks with Switzerland’s PostAuto, a unit of Swiss Post that provides public bus services, to launch its Apollo Go robotaxi service in the European country, according to people familiar with the matter. Baidu plans to set up a local entity in Switzerland in the coming months and start testing the technology by the end of the year, the people told WSJ.

Baidu also plans to launch Apollo Go in Turkey, the people said.

It is not yet known how Turkish taxi drivers will react to the plans. In 2018 they campaigned strongly against the operation of US-based ride-sharing service Uber in Turkey, leading to the halt of its services in 2019. They accused the company of engaging in unfair competition.

Uber was again able to operate in Turkey following an appeals court decision in 2020, although it now primarily works with existing taxi drivers.

Autonomous-driving companies from China and the US are seeking to monetize their technology via ride-hailing services and advanced driver-assistance systems for consumer vehicles.

Baidu and other Chinese firms are racing to extend their competitive advantage abroad as domestic competition mounts. Many have refrained from entering the US market, where Chinese technology faces heightened scrutiny from Washington.

Battles are heating up in other markets, too, including the Middle East, Japan, Singapore and now, Europe.

Earlier this month, Uber Technologies said it planned to deploy robotaxis in Europe in early 2026, partnering with Chinese self-driving startup Momenta. Since 2023 the US ride-hailing giant has teamed up with Waymo-owned by Google parent Alphabet-to offer driverless taxi services in some US cities.

Some analysts say that robotaxi services could run into regulatory challenges in Europe, especially due to safety concerns.

“It will take some time for safety trials to convince regulators,” said Kai Wang, a Morningstar analyst.