RTA agrees global partnerships to operate autonomous taxis in Dubai

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has expanded its global partnerships with leading autonomous driving technology providers, Uber, WeRide, and Baidu (Apollo Go), to deploy autonomous taxis in Dubai.

Uber and WeRide will launch AVs in Dubai through the Uber platform as part of the expanding strategic partnership. The deal sees the RTA working alongside China’s Baidu, through its autonomous mobility arm, Apollo Go, which is one of the world’s foremost providers of self-driving solutions and autonomous ride hailing services.

The initiative forms part of RTA’s wider strategy to establish Dubai as a global pioneer in autonomous mobility. 

Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, Mattar Al Tayer, said: “These two partnerships with Uber, starting with WeRide as the technology partner and Baidu (Apollo Go) represent a crucial step in advancing Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to transform 25 per cent of all journeys in the city into autonomous trips across various transport modes by 2030. These collaborations highlight RTA’s commitment to engaging with global technology leaders and forms part of a series of autonomous mobility trials launched in 2016, which have grown in diversity over the past years.”

Al Tayer added: “The deployment of autonomous taxis will support the integration of transport systems by enhancing first and last-mile connectivity for public transport users. This aligns with the First and Last-Mile Strategy adopted by RTA last year, which aims to facilitate passenger movement between their point of origin or destination and the nearest public transport station. Autonomous vehicles also contribute to improved road safety, as human error is responsible for over 90 per cent of traffic accidents. Moreover, they serve a wide segment of the community—particularly senior citizens, residents, and people of determination.”

Uber, starting with WeRide, and Baidu through Apollo Go, will commence trials of autonomous taxis in Dubai this year, with a safety driver seated behind the wheel, in preparation for the driverless commercial launch in 2026.

Baidu Corporate Vice President, President of Baidu Intelligent Driving Group, Dr. Wang Yunpeng, said: “This ambitious partnership with the RTA in Dubai represents Apollo Go’s biggest international expansion beyond China thus far. It also highlights Dubai’s commitment to positioning itself as a global hub for innovation in future mobility. We are committed to delivering safe, sustainable, and efficient services to more regions, working alongside local partners to provide meaningful transport solutions that benefit broader communities around the world.”

Uber’s Global Head of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery Operations, Noah Zych, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with the RTA to bring autonomous vehicles onto the Uber platform, starting with our technology partner WeRide. At Uber, we’re building the future of transportation, working with the world’s leading autonomous vehicle developers to help commercialize and deploy this technology at scale around the world.”

Chief Financial Officer and Head of International Business at WeRide, Jennifer Li, stated: “Dubai marks a natural step forward in our commitment to advancing mobility in the Middle East as well as our continued global expansion. We believe our advanced autonomous driving technology and operational experience combined with Uber’s powerful global mobility platform will help us serve millions of consumers in cities around the world.”

Apollo Go has recorded over 150 million kilometres of safe autonomous driving, supporting the large-scale deployment of autonomous ride-hailing services across more than 10 Chinese cities.

Since February, Apollo Go has commenced fully driverless operations across China, and has completed more than 10 million autonomous rides lately, making it the world’s largest operator of driverless fleets. Its sixth-generation robotaxi RT6, purpose-built for autonomous ride-hailing, has been widely welcomed and well received by passengers.