Ride-hailing companies Uber Technologies and WeRide have teamed up with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority to bring self-driving taxis to the emirate's roads.
San Francisco-based Uber and the RTA will launch pilot programmes, ensure safety protocols and regulatory frameworks, and explore data insight, Uber and WeRide said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
WeRide, based in Guangzhou, China, became the first autonomous vehicle (AV) provider to secure a national licence from the UAE for self-driving vehicles on public roads, in July 2023.
Dubai will become the second city in the Middle East to have WeRide's robotaxis on its roads after the company joined forces with Uber to launch a commercial driverless mobility service in Abu Dhabi in December.
Further details, including target dates for AV introduction in Dubai, will be announced at a later date, the statement said.
“This partnership … represents 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,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general and board chairman of the RTA. The UAE aims to become a leader in smart mobility systems to boost sustainability.
Dubai began supervised testing of driverless vehicles on its roads in October 2023 after the US self-driving tech company Cruise, which is backed by General Motors and Honda Motor, was issued with a trial permit.
Dubai Taxi Company, which partnered with European mobility company Bolt to launch ride-hailing services, plans to launch its first autonomous taxi service in the emirate by the first quarter of 2026, its chief executive Mansoor Alfalasi told The National in February.
The emirate is “a natural step forward” for WeRide's strategy of advancing mobility in the wider Middle East region, the company's chief financial officer, Jennifer Li, said.
Abu Dhabi already has its own fleet of driverless taxis on Yas Island, run by TXAI, the UAE's first driverless taxi service.
In addition, electric air taxis are expected to begin operating in Dubai during the first quarter of 2026, the RTA confirmed in September.
Manufacturers of self-driving vehicles continue to improve their capabilities and safety, which is expanding the market. The industry's market size is projected to hit more than $2.2 trillion by 2030, from an estimated $287.6 billion in 2024, at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 34 per cent, data from Next Move Strategy Consulting shows.
In the UAE alone, the ride-hailing market is projected to post a “significant” rise in revenue, to reach nearly $204 million in 2025, a study from Statista Market Insights shows.
Uber is “working with the world’s leading autonomous vehicle developers to help commercialise and deploy this technology at scale around the world”, said the company's head of autonomous mobility, Noah Zych.
Uber is considered the pioneer of ride-hailing services and operates in 70 countries. In 2019, the company acquired Dubai's Careem in a $3.1 billion deal, and has expanded into food delivery and freight.
WeRide, which is present in 10 countries, provides driving products and services that comply to autonomous levels two to four, the latter of which would need no human driver in most circumstances. It says it is the only company to hold driverless permits in China, France, Singapore, the UAE and the US.
