Country

Robotaxis in United Arab Emirates

3 cities tracked, 2 with public driverless rides, 3 operators.

Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates - WeRide (announced)Ras Al KhaimahAbu 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

Cities

Abu Dhabi

Dubai

Ras Al Khaimah

Regulation

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), Abu Dhabi Mobility, UAE federal authorities (national licence)

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.

  1. WeRide receives the UAE's first national licence for self-driving vehicles covering testing and operation on public roads. source
  2. WeRide robotaxi obtains a federal permit for fully driverless commercial operations; ITC then licenses WeRide and Tawasul. source
  3. ITC issues one of the first fully driverless commercial permits to Apollo Go and AutoGo. source
Sources (2)
  1. WeRide and Uber Launch Middle East's First Fully Driverless Robotaxi Commercial Operations in Abu Dhabi - WeRide / Yahoo Finance, 26 Nov 2025
  2. Baidu's Apollo Go and K2's AutoGo announce fleet expansion plan in Abu Dhabi - TNGlobal / PR Newswire, 11 Nov 2025

Last checked

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)

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.

  1. Apollo Go receives Dubai's first fully driverless testing permit. source
  2. RTA launches commercial autonomous taxi operations with Apollo Go and WeRide in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah. source
  3. RTA introduces a Dh5 fare for driverless taxi rides (previously free). source
Sources (2)
  1. Dubai Taxi launches driverless rides after RTA rollout - Gulf News, 1 Apr 2026
  2. WeRide and Uber launch driverless robotaxi service in Dubai - Automotive World, 31 Mar 2026

Last checked