Uber and WeRide ramp up robotaxi operations in Dubai

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide have moved to fully driverless robotaxi operations in Dubai, allowing riders to book unmanned trips through the Uber app across commercial, industrial and suburban districts. The service — operated locally by UAE mobility and fleet operator Tawasul — is now running without a human safety operator in areas that include Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Investment Park Second, Jabal Ali Industrial First and the maritime trading hub Al Hamriya Port, TechCrunch reported.

"Bringing fully driverless vehicles to Dubai is an important milestone in making autonomous mobility a global reality," said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery. "This launch underscores our deep commitment to the UAE and our vision for a hybrid world — where drivers and AVs operate side-by-side to create a more resilient network. Especially during challenging times in the region, we are proud to be a partner to this city, ensuring that Uber is always there to help people move seamlessly and with confidence."

Context and deployment details

The move follows an earlier pilot launched in December, when Uber and WeRide began testing robotaxis in Dubai with a human safety operator on board and did not charge riders. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) issued a driverless vehicle trial permit to the companies last month, clearing the way for operations without an onboard safety driver. Under the current arrangement WeRide supplies the autonomous driving technology while Uber manages routing and fleet operations through its app — a model similar to Uber’s existing commercial relationship with Waymo.

• Tawasul: local operator managing daily service in the UAE
• Coverage areas: Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Investment Park Second, Jabal Ali Industrial First, Al Hamriya Port and selected suburban zones
• Regulatory step: driverless vehicle trial permit issued by Dubai’s RTA in February 2026 (reported March 31, 2026)
• Corporate stakes and investment: Uber holds a 5.82% stake in WeRide as disclosed in documents filed Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Uber invested $100 million into WeRide last year and its equity stake is valued at around $150 million based on WeRide’s closing stock price on Monday
• Expansion plan: Uber and WeRide agreed in May 2025 on a commercial robotaxi partnership to roll service into another 15 cities over the next five years, including planned expansion into European markets

Outlook

The Dubai deployment marks an escalation in WeRide’s robotaxi footprint in the Middle East and underscores Uber’s continued role as a distribution partner for autonomous vehicle providers. With the RTA permit in place and bookings now flowing through the Uber app, the immediate focus will be operational reliability and public acceptance in mixed urban and industrial environments. Longer term, the May 2025 commercial partnership to expand into 15 additional cities over five years points to a coordinated push by Uber and WeRide to scale driverless services globally — testing both technical readiness and regulatory frameworks as robotaxis move from pilots to paid, public services.