United Kingdom, Dec. 24 -- Chinese driverless taxis could appear on UK roads in 2026.

Uber and Lyft have just announced partnerships with Baidu to trial the tech and if all goes to plan, robotaxis could hit UK roads next year.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has welcomed the news on social media, writing on X: "Another vote of confidence in our plans for self-driving vehicles from global leader

@Lyft

"We're planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from Spring, under our pilot scheme - harnessing this technology safely and responsibly to transform travel. (sic)"

Uber is also excited by the latest development.

The ride-sharing app said in a statement: "We're excited to accelerate Britain's leadershi...