Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has granted Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing unit, the emirate’s first permit for fully driverless vehicle trials, enabling operations without a human safety driver on designated public roads.
The permit clears a regulatory pathway for Apollo Go’s planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, positioning Dubai as the company’s first international market for fully autonomous ride-hailing services.
See also: Regeny Opens Ultra-Fast EV Charging Hub Near Dubai Airport as UAE Pushes Fleet Electrification
The approval was formally issued during the opening of Apollo Go Park, a 2,000-square-meter operations hub in downtown Dubai and Baidu’s first autonomous driving facility outside China. The site integrates intelligent road infrastructure, charging stations and vehicle maintenance capabilities, and will function as a central operations and monitoring center as the service scales.
RTA Director General Mattar Al Tayer, who attended the opening ceremony, observed Apollo Go’s first fully driverless vehicle operating on approved public roads.
“The RTA’s issuance of Dubai’s first permit for fully driverless operational trials without a safety driver represents a qualitative milestone,” Al Tayer said.
See also: WeRide, Uber Launch Public Robotaxi Rides in Dubai via Uber App
The permit builds on a strategic cooperation agreement signed in March 2025 between Apollo Go and the RTA, which established the framework for autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in the emirate. Initial testing began in August 2025 with a fleet of 50 vehicles, following the issuance of earlier trial licenses.
Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, chief executive of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said the current phase will focus on validating operational readiness.
“Through this trial permit and the deployment of Apollo Go’s autonomous vehicles on designated open roads, we will rigorously test safety, reliability, and customer experience,” Bahrozyan said.
See also: Pony.ai Gains Dubai Permit to Test Robotaxis, Eyes Commercial Launch by 2026
Apollo Go said it plans to expand its Dubai fleet to up to 1,000 fully driverless vehicles, subject to regulatory approvals and performance benchmarks. The company enters the market with experience from deployments in 22 cities, having logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometers globally, including over 140 million kilometers in fully driverless mode, as of October 2025.
Yunpeng Wang, Baidu corporate vice president and president of its Intelligent Driving Group, described the Dubai rollout as a key step in Apollo Go’s international expansion, as the company looks to replicate its operating model beyond China.