Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Robotaxis in Dubai

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Public driverless rides: Apollo Go (Baidu), WeRide. 1 more entry in testing, announced or ended.

Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates - WeRide (announced)Ras Al KhaimahRiyadh, Saudi Arabia - WeRide (public, with operator)RiyadhAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Apollo Go (Baidu) (paid driverless), WeRide (paid driverless)Abu DhabiDubai, United Arab Emirates - Apollo Go (Baidu) (paid driverless), WeRide (paid driverless), Pony.ai (driverless tests)Dubai

How to ride here

  • Apollo Go (Baidu) Open to the public - book in the Apollo Go app.
  • WeRide Open to the public - book in the Uber app.
  • Pony.ai Not open to the public yet.

Services

Apollo Go (Baidu)

Paid driverless service
  1. Testing
  2. Driverless tests
  3. Staff and invitees
  4. Public, with operator
  5. Driverless, free
  6. Paid driverless

Open to the public - book in the Apollo Go app.

Who can ride
Open to the public
App
Apollo Go
Partner
Dubai Taxi Company; RTA Dubai
Service area
Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah (RTA phase 1); earlier trials in Dubai Silicon Oasis and Jumeirah
Area size
not published
Airport
not published
Highways
not published
Fleet (official)
Dubai Taxi starts with 50 vehicles in the first year (April 2026); RTA phase 1 has 100 autonomous taxis across operators
Fares
Dh5 per ride (from July 2026; previously free)
Public driverless since

History

  1. Testing with safety driver - Trials begin with 50 RT6 vehicles in Dubai Silicon Oasis and Jumeirah. source
  2. Driverless testing - Apollo Go receives Dubai's first fully driverless testing permit; Apollo Go Park opened. source
  3. Public driverless rides (free) - Dubai Taxi launches fully driverless rides via the Apollo Go app after RTA's 2026-03-31 rollout; rides were free initially. source
  4. Paid driverless service - RTA introduces a fare of Dh5 per ride. source

Announced next

  • Announcement Fleet to grow to more than 1,000 vehicles over the coming years; booking to be extended to Bolt and other e-hailing apps Target: not given. Announced . source
Sources (4)
  1. Dubai RTA reveals Phase 1 rollout of driverless robotaxis across 65 locations - Gulf News, 9 Jan 2026
  2. Dubai announces launch of autonomous taxi operations in Q1 2026 - Fast Company Middle East, Feb 2026
  3. Dubai Taxi launches driverless rides after RTA rollout - Gulf News, 1 Apr 2026
  4. Dubai driverless taxis now have a fare. Here's how much a ride costs - Gulf News, 15 Jul 2026

Last checked - last change

WeRide

Paid driverless service
  1. Testing
  2. Driverless tests
  3. Staff and invitees
  4. Public, with operator
  5. Driverless, free
  6. Paid driverless

Open to the public - book in the Uber app.

Who can ride
Open to the public
App
Uber
Partner
Uber; Tawasul (fleet operator); RTA Dubai
Service area
Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah; permit covers planned expansion to Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Investment Park and Al Hamriya Port
Area size
not published
Airport
not published
Highways
not published
Fleet (official)
About 400 robotaxis across the Middle East as of 2026-07-31 (regional figure)
Fares
not published
Public driverless since

History

  1. Public rides with a safety operator - Supervised trial on Uber begins. source
  2. Driverless testing - RTA grants driverless vehicle permit. source
  3. Paid driverless service - Fully driverless fare-charging service launches in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah via the Uber Autonomous option. source

Announced next

  • Announcement Progressive expansion into Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Investment Park and Al Hamriya Port Target: not given. Announced . source
Sources (2)
  1. WeRide and Uber launch driverless robotaxi service in Dubai - Automotive World, 31 Mar 2026
  2. WeRide Q2 and 1H 2026 results (Form 6-K exhibit 99.1) - WeRide / SEC, 12 Aug 2026

Last checked - last change

Pony.ai

Driverless testing
  1. Testing
  2. Driverless tests

Not open to the public yet.

Who can ride
No riders
App
not published
Partner
RTA Dubai
Service area
not published
Area size
not published
Airport
not published
Highways
not published
Fleet (official)
not published
Fares
not published
Public driverless since
not published

History

  1. Testing with safety driver - RTA testing permit, months of on-road validation. source
  2. Driverless testing - Pony.ai announces fully driverless testing on Dubai public roads. source

Announced next

  • Announcement Public fare-charging robotaxi service in Dubai with a fleet of hundreds of vehicles Target: 2026. Announced . source
Sources (2)
  1. Pony AI deploys driverless robotaxis in Dubai, plans commercial service launch in 2026 - CnEVPost, 20 Apr 2026
  2. Pony AI Q2 2026 financial results - Pony AI / Finviz, 18 Aug 2026

Last checked - last change

Rules in this country

  • Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Driverless robotaxi service requires a UAE federal permit plus an ITC operating licence. In 2025 ITC issued the emirate's first fully driverless commercial permits (WeRide with Tawasul, Apollo Go with AutoGo), and both run public driverless service; WeRide still uses safety drivers in parts of the city.
  • Dubai, United Arab Emirates - RTA issues trial and driverless permits and partners directly with operators. After Apollo Go received Dubai's first fully driverless testing permit in January 2026 and WeRide a driverless permit in February 2026, RTA launched commercial autonomous taxi operations in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah on 2026-03-31 (phase 1: 100 vehicles). Dubai targets 25% of trips to be autonomous by 2030.