Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai has signed a partnership agreement with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch its robotaxi fleet in the city, the company said on Monday, marking a key step in its Middle East expansion strategy.
Initial supervised trials of Pony.ai’s autonomous vehicles are scheduled to begin in 2025, followed by fully driverless operations starting in 2026. The collaboration aligns with Dubai’s “2030 Smart City Vision,” which aims to convert 25% of all transport in the city to autonomous mode by the end of the decade.
“This partnership is integral to our goal of transforming 25% of all journeys in the city into autonomous trips by 2030,” said Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency.
Pony.ai unveiled its seventh-generation robotaxi at Auto Shanghai 2025 in April, featuring a redesigned Autopilot Kit that reduces hardware material costs by 70%. Mass production and deployment of the vehicle is expected to begin in the second half of 2025, which the company says will mark the start of large-scale commercial deployment globally.
The firm has obtained robotaxi testing licenses in the U.S., China, South Korea, and Luxembourg. In China, it operates about 300 robotaxis in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. “We’ve built up real expertise in robotaxis from years of operations in China, and now we’re bringing that know-how to Dubai,” said Leo Wang, CFO of Pony.ai.
Pony.ai plans to expand its global robotaxi fleet to thousands of units within the next two years and aims to integrate its services into Dubai’s broader transportation infrastructure, including metro, tram, and maritime networks. The company also recently announced a partnership with Uber Technologies, with plans to debut their joint services in a Middle Eastern market later this year.