Chinese autonomous driving firm WeRide is expanding its international presence with plans to deploy robotaxi services in Dubai in collaboration with Uber Technologies and the city’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the company announced on Monday.
The partnership aims to roll out commercial robotaxi services through the Uber platform by the end of 2024.
The initial fleet will operate with onboard safety officers while also conducting fully autonomous road testing. The service is expected to transition to fully driverless commercial operations by the first quarter of 2026.
The move follows WeRide’s launch of driverless pilot operations in Abu Dhabi last month and reflects its broader effort to grow in the Middle East, a region the company has identified as a strategic market. According to WeRide, robotaxi testing is already underway in Dubai under the oversight of the RTA.
The collaboration is in line with Dubai’s broader initiative to make 25% of its transportation trips autonomous by 2030.
Founded in 2017, WeRide went public on the Nasdaq in October 2023 and has since expanded its testing and operations across 30 cities in 10 countries.
