(Reuters) -Chinese technology major Baidu is preparing to test its driverless ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, in Europe for the first time, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Baidu plans to set up a local entity in Switzerland in the coming months and aims to begin testing the technology by the end of this year, WSJ said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The company has been in discussions with Switzerland’s bus service-provider PostAuto to debut its robotaxi service in Switzerland, the WSJ report added.
Swiss Post, PostAuto’s parent, said in an email to Reuters that there is currently no partnership or cooperation between the unit or Swiss Post and Baidu or any other technology provider.
“Swiss Post, with its Mobility Services unit, is also thinking about the future of our mobility and new customer requirements,” the company added.
Baidu also plans to launch Apollo Go in Turkey, the WSJ report said.
The company’s robotaxi service Apollo Go operates in multiple Chinese cities, with the largest fleet of more than 400 vehicles in central China’s Wuhan city.
Baidu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Ananya Palyekar; Additional reporting by Chandni Shah; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)
