Uber and Baidu announced that they will roll out autonomous ride-hailing services in Dubai next month, marking a new milestone in the Chinese firm’s global expansion strategy.
Baidu’s fully driverless vehicles in China © Mena Today
Uber and Baidu announced that they will roll out autonomous ride-hailing services in Dubai next month, marking a new milestone in the Chinese firm’s global expansion strategy.
The fully driverless vehicles, operated under Baidu’s Apollo Go platform, will be available through the Uber app in selected areas of Jumeirah. The companies said the service will gradually expand across the city, subject to operational performance and regulatory approval.
The Dubai launch builds on a partnership unveiled last year to deploy thousands of Apollo Go robotaxis on Uber’s platform in international markets outside the United States and mainland China.
The move also strengthens Uber’s position in the increasingly competitive robotaxi sector, as technology companies accelerate efforts to commercialize autonomous mobility.
Baidu has been operating Apollo Go services commercially in several Chinese cities since 2022 and currently runs in 22 cities worldwide. As of October, the company said it had completed more than 17 million autonomous rides.
The Chinese tech giant has also partnered with Lyft to expand robotaxi deployments in Europe and plans to launch driverless taxi trials in the United Kingdom later this year.
Passengers in Dubai will be able to request an Apollo Go vehicle by booking Uber Comfort or UberX rides, or by selecting an “Autonomous” option within the app, the companies said.
By Ingrid Lestham
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