Dubai residents may soon book fully driverless rides in the Uber app. Baidu\u2019s Apollo Go service will appear first in select parts of Jumeirah, then expand citywide as operations mature and regulators approve new zones. The launch comes through a partnership between Baidu, Uber, and Dubai\u2019s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within the service area, riders choosing UberX or Uber Comfort may be matched with an Apollo Go vehicle. An \u201cAutonomous\u201d option will also show in the app. Fleet operations will be run by third-party operator New Horizon. Expansion to other districts will follow \u201coperational learnings\u201d and regulatory sign-off, the companies said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFully driverless\u201d indicates no safety driver on board. In January, Apollo Go secured Dubai\u2019s first permit for testing without a human driver. Baidu also opened \u201cApollo Go Park,\u201d its first overseas operations and management hub, to localise training, maintenance, and incident response. These steps set the base for commercial rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dubai aims for 25% of all trips to be autonomous by 2030. RTA\u2019s self-driving strategy places robotaxis within a broader plan covering passenger and logistics services. Apollo Go\u2019s Uber debut supports that policy by giving residents easy access through a familiar app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the companies, Apollo Go has logged over 240 million autonomous kilometres, including more than 140 million in fully driverless mode. The service operates in 22 cities. Weekly rides have topped 250,000, with more than 17 million trips completed as of October 31, 2025. These figures indicate the size of the operating dataset that will inform Dubai deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first phase is limited to parts of Jumeirah. Routes, pickup points, and hours may adjust as the system scales. Wider coverage will depend on reliability, user demand, and regulator reviews. Reuters reports the launch window as \u201cwithin the next month,\u201d aligning with the companies\u2019 guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Dubai launch is part of a global partnership first announced in mid-2025 to deploy Apollo Go outside the U.S. and mainland China. Uber\u2019s strategy is to aggregate autonomous fleets on its platform and grow access in major cities. Recent announcements also include expansion plans for London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dubai\u2019s move brings autonomous mobility into everyday use for more residents. If early performance holds, the city could accelerate toward its 2030 autonomy goal while giving riders a new, scalable option for urban trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dubai residents may soon book fully driverless rides in the Uber app. Baidu\u2019s Apollo Go service will appear first in select parts of Jumeirah, then expand citywide as operations mature and regulators approve new zones. The launch comes through a partnership between Baidu, Uber, and Dubai\u2019s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). How the rollout will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-4"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n