WeRide robotaxi pilot to launch in Dubai this year
WeRide robotaxis to begin operating in Dubai this year, with safety drivers
#UAE #AVs - Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), US ride-hailing platform Uber Technologies and Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide have announced plans for pilot operations of self-driving taxis in Dubai later this year. Robotaxis will initially be deployed with safety drivers aboard and booked via the Uber app, with full commercial driverless services planned for 2026. The initiative supports Dubai's Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to convert 25% of all mobility journeys in the emirate into autonomous trips by 2030.
SO WHAT? - The RTA-Uber-WeRide partnership was announced in April, within days of Baidu’s ride-hailing platform Apollo Go announcing their deal with the authority. The RTA announced subsequently announced a similar partnership with Pony.ai. Today’s announcement confirms that a Uber-WeRide driverless taxi pilot will start this year and that a regular consumer service will be launched in 2026. In March, Apollo Go announced plans to deploy 100 fully autonomous vehicles in Dubai by the end of 2025, but no numbers have been specified for the Uber-WeRide pilot. WeRide is already running robotaxi services in neighbouring Abu Dhabi.
Here are the key details about today’s announcement:
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed the memorandum with Uber Technologies and WeRide, with field preparations already underway for the pilot phase launch by the end of 2025.
The RTA-Uber-WeRide partnership was announced last month within a week of a partnership with Baidu's Apollo Go for Dubai services. A similar deal was announced between the RTA and Pony.ai following the WeRide announcement.
WeRide’s autonomous vehicles will initially operate with safety drivers, transitioning to fully driverless commercial operations in 2026 following the successful completion of 2025’s pilot.
WeRide became the first autonomous vehicle provider to secure the UAE's national licence for self-driving vehicles on public roads in July 2023, demonstrating regulatory approval.
The partnership builds on WeRide's successful commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles on Uber's platform in Abu Dhabi, which began in December 2024. WeRide has been part of driverless taxi trials in Abu Dhabi since 2021.
WeRide currently operates in over 30 cities across 10 countries, holding driverless permits in China, the UAE, Singapore, France, and the United States.
Dubai's Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy targets converting 25% of all mobility journeys into autonomous trips across various transport modes by 2030.
ZOOM OUT - The UAE has been developing autonomous vehicle plans for some years, with Abu Dhabi leading early trials through G42 Group's taxi and bus services on Saadiyat Island and Yas Island in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Mobility. Dubai previously trialed GM's Cruise autonomous taxi platform on selected streets in 2023, following a 2021 agreement to deploy thousands of robotaxis. The UAE has established supporting legislation, adding autonomous vehicles to federal vehicle classifications last year, whilst both emirates have prepared for large-scale robotaxi deployment despite ongoing technical and regulatory challenges.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Read more about the UAE’s driverless vehicle journey:
Pony.ai to start robotaxi trials with Dubai RTA this year (Middle East AI News)
WeRide launches regions first fully driverless taxis (Middle East AI News)
RTA, Uber & WeRide partner for Dubai robotaxi services (Middle East AI News)
Baidu's Apollo Go to expand robotaxi services to UAE (Middle East AI News)
New ATRC venture to transform vehicles into AVs (Middle East AI News)