Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On June 15, 2025, Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Uber Technologies, the world's leading technology platform for mobility and delivery. Under the agreement, the three parties will collaborate to deploy commercial Robotaxi services in Dubai, which will be launched on the Uber platform within the year.
In the initial stage, the Robotaxis will operate with a safety driver on board, with fully driverless commercial service expected in Q1 2026. WeRide and Uber have already commenced Robotaxi road tests in Dubai, with strategic support and supervision from RTA.
Jennifer Xuan Li, CFO and Head of International at WeRide, said: "We are accelerating our global expansion, and the Middle East is a strategic focus. Last month, we announced an expanded partnership with Uber to deploy Robotaxis in 15 new cities over the next five years, with cities in the Middle East under consideration. Today's agreement with Uber and the RTA marks a major step forward in deploying autonomous vehicles in Dubai. This highly aligns with Dubai's ambitious vision to make 25% of all transportation trips autonomous by 2030, and we are proud to contribute our advanced technologies and global application experience."
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, hailed the agreement as a milestone in Dubai's smart mobility ambitions: "Introducing autonomous vehicles is a crucial step toward a smarter, more sustainable future for mobility and supports our vision of making Dubai the smartest city in the world. This partnership strengthens Dubai's global leadership in adopting cutting-edge and sustainable transportation solutions, reflecting our strong commitment to innovation and smart mobility."
Frans Hiemstra, Regional General Manager, MEA at Uber added: "At Uber, we are building the future of transportation—one that we believe will be defined by electrification, shared mobility, and autonomous driving. We're thrilled to sign the MoU with RTA and to launch autonomous vehicle services in Dubai by 2025, with WeRide as our first tech partner. This collaboration reflects our commitment to bringing autonomous technology to users around the world, and we look forward to offering this experience to riders in Dubai later this year."
Notably, in July 2023, WeRide became the first company to obtain the autonomous vehicle test license in the UAE, authorizing public road testing and operation of its full product lineup nationwide. Today, WeRide remains the first and the only company globally to hold autonomous driving permits across five countries: China, the UAE, Singapore, France, and the United States.
