Abu Dhabi hosts Uber’s first driverless service abroad

Uber Technologies has officially launched fully driverless robotaxis in Abu Dhabi, marking a major milestone both for the company and for the region. 

The rollout, announced Wednesday, is being carried out in partnership with Chinese autonomous-driving specialist WeRide — the same firm with which Uber signed a strategic agreement last year.

With this launch, Abu Dhabi becomes the first city outside the United States where Uber offers fully driverless rides, underscoring the UAE capital’s ambitions to position itself as a global hub for smart mobility and autonomous transport.

Uber said that passengers requesting an UberX or Uber Comfort trip may now be matched with a WeRide robotaxi, depending on availability and proximity. The vehicles are fully autonomous, operating without a driver behind the wheel.

Initially concentrated in the Abu Dhabi city core, the service is already slated for rapid expansion. Uber announced that coverage will extend to additional districts across the emirate before the end of the year.

A growing autonomous presence in the Middle East

WeRide, headquartered in Guangzhou, has been expanding aggressively in the Gulf region. According to Uber, the company currently operates more than 100 robotaxis in the Middle East, making it one of the few operators running large-scale autonomous fleets outside Asia and the U.S.

The partnership enables Uber to integrate WeRide’s Level-4 autonomous technology directly into its platform, giving residents and visitors access to a seamless, driver-free mobility experience.

The UAE has been pushing forward with national strategies aimed at deploying autonomous transport solutions across roads, ports, and logistics networks. 

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport has long positioned the emirate as a testing ground for smart mobility innovations — including pilot robotaxi programs since 2022.

The arrival of Uber’s driverless service adds a major global brand to the UAE’s autonomous ecosystem, helping accelerate adoption and visibility. For Uber, Abu Dhabi serves as a strategic launchpad in its effort to broaden driverless operations beyond the U.S. and diversify mobility offerings.

Next steps

Uber and WeRide plan to increase fleet capacity, improve route coverage, and refine AI-driven safety systems as demand grows. Additional service tiers could be introduced once operations scale.

With the UAE placing heavy emphasis on autonomous mobility as part of its Vision 2031 strategy, industry observers expect robotaxi deployments to accelerate across the Gulf in the coming years.