Uber is teaming up with Chinese tech giant Baidu to bring thousands of Apollo Go driverless cars to its ridesharing platform.
With many of these partnerships, it ends up being years (if ever) before they deliver on their promises. However, this one is happening this year.
The two companies have forged a multi-year deal that will see Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis become a part of the Uber fleet. If you’re an Uber user in parts of Asia or the Middle East, you might soon find your next ride showing up without anyone in the driver’s seat.
This could be a watershed moment for the commercialisation of driverless technology. Baidu isn’t a newcomer testing the waters—its Apollo Go service is among the world’s leading autonomous ride-hailing operation, with a fleet of over a thousand vehicles already on the road.
Baidu has successfully completed more than 11 million rides for the public across 15 cities, including major hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They bring proven technology and a solid safety record to the table.
Robin Li, Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Baidu, said: “We are committed to bringing the benefit of autonomous driving technology to more people in more markets, and this partnership with Uber represents a major milestone in deploying our technology on a global scale.
“We look forward to working with Uber to deliver safe and efficient autonomous mobility solutions to riders around the world.”
So, what’s in it for Uber? It’s a classic case of a global platform meeting cutting-edge technology. Uber has the customers and the network, but making that network run smoothly and affordably is a constant challenge. Autonomous vehicles offer a tantalising glimpse into a future with a more reliable and scalable supply of “drivers.”
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, commented: “This partnership brings together two of the world’s most iconic technology companies to help shape the future of mobility.
“As the world’s largest platform of its kind, spanning mobility, delivery, and freight, Uber is uniquely positioned to help AV leaders like Baidu bring their autonomous technology to the world.”
By joining forces, Uber and Baidu are tackling the biggest hurdle for autonomous vehicles: getting them in front of enough people to matter. This move could be the catalyst that finally brings driverless travel from a niche experiment into the mainstream.
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