- Uber and WeRide partnership
- Taxis with no safety driver
- WeRide given federal licence
Fully driverless robotaxis have begun commercial operations in Abu Dhabi, Uber and WeRide have announced.
The two companies said the service they launched on Wednesday is the first in the Middle East to offer robotaxis without a safety driver on board.
Passengers can use the Uber app to book a trip in a WeRide vehicle. The service was launched with routes on Yas Island and is set to be extended to other parts of the city by the end of 2025.
Last month WeRide, an autonomous-driving company from China, received a federal-level licence from the UAE government for the commercial operation of fully driverless robotaxis.
The companies’ Abu Dhabi service began last December with limited routes and a safety operator on board for the launch phase. The UAE capital is now the first city outside the US to offer fully driverless trips on the Uber platform.
Guangzhou-based WeRide has more than 100 robotaxis in the Middle East. In May it announced plans to roll out driverless taxis in Saudi Arabia before the end of this year.
In the same month Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said driverless cars would be “in Saudi Arabia this year”.
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment conference in Riyadh, Khosrowshahi called Saudi Arabia “one of our top growing markets”, saying Uber now serves 4 million drivers in the country.
Further reading:
- Abu Dhabi pulls ahead of Riyadh in robotaxi investor race
- China’s Baidu begins driverless car testing in UAE
- Trials of self-driving vehicles to begin in Riyadh
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