MANY MINDEDBaidu's robotaxi arm signs deal to explore driverless service in Kazakhstan
Baidu's Apollo Go signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan-based Turlov Private Holding to explore introducing autonomous driving and robotaxi services in the country. The deal, signed Thursday in Shanghai ahead of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and witnessed by Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI Zhaslan Madiyev, marks the first entry of Chinese robotaxis into Central Asia. It is an agreement to jointly explore, not a confirmed launch.
The move fits a rapid international push. As of May, Apollo Go operated in 27 cities including Hong Kong, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. By the company's own figures, it had provided more than 22 million public rides as of April 2026, with fully driverless orders reaching 3.2 million in the first quarter and weekly orders peaking above 350,000 in March. Its fleet has logged over 330 million kilometers of autonomous driving, more than 220 million of it without a safety driver. Recent expansion includes commercial driverless operations in Dubai, a permit to run L4 robotaxis across about 80 square kilometers in three Swiss cantons, and a planned entry into Seoul.
Autonomous ride services matter for mobility because they promise transport in places and hours where drivers are scarce or costly, and each new market tests whether the model travels across regulatory and road conditions. If it works, it widens access to on-demand movement without a car of one's own.
All ride, mileage, and safety figures come from Baidu's own statements. Watch whether the Kazakhstan exploration turns into road testing and a defined service area, as happened in Switzerland.
Source: CnEVPost