Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide have officially launched fully driverless robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi, marking the first driverless deployment in the Middle East and the first city outside of the United States to host fully autonomous operations on the Uber platform.
The launch, which commenced on Wednesday, introduces Level 4 autonomous vehicles—meaning they can manage all driving tasks independently within approved zones—operating without a safety specialist onboard. This milestone positions Abu Dhabi as a critical new battleground for global autonomous vehicle technology.
Key Details of the Launch
The driverless robotaxis, which are WeRide’s GXR model, are currently operating in designated areas of Yas Island, a major tourism and entertainment hub. The launch follows a rigorous testing period and the receipt of a Level 4 fully driverless Robotaxi permit from Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre (ITC)—a permit reportedly the first of its kind at the city level outside the U.S.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
Riders in Abu Dhabi can request a WeRide robotaxi through several options on the Uber app:
- UberX or Uber Comfort requests.
- A newly introduced, dedicated “Autonomous” ride category, which is Uber’s first global option specifically for self-driving vehicles, boosts the chance of being matched with a robotaxi.
The service is a joint effort between Uber, WeRide, and local fleet operator Tawasul Transport. While WeRide supplies the Level 4 technology, Uber oversees the customer experience and, in collaboration with Tawasul, manages fleet operations (maintenance, charging, and support).
The companies have already been operating autonomous rides with safety operators in core areas of Abu Dhabi (like Al Reem and Al Maryah) since July 2025 and plan to extend driverless coverage to more of the city core by the end of the year.
Uber’s Global Partnership Strategy
This Abu Dhabi launch is central to Uber’s renewed strategy to dominate the future of autonomous ride-hailing through partnerships, following the sale of its own internal self-driving unit in 2020. The company now focuses on leveraging its global ride-hailing platform while integrating the best available third-party AV technology.
Uber already offers robotaxi services in three U.S. cities: Phoenix (since late 2023), Austin, and Atlanta (both since early 2025) through its partnership with Alphabet’s Waymo.
The partnership with the Nasdaq-listed WeRide is rapidly expanding its footprint in the Gulf region. Prior to the fully driverless launch, the duo had already deployed autonomous rides with safety operators in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, since October 2025.
Uber has stated intentions to roll out the WeRide service to 15 more cities, including locations in Europe, over the next five years.
The company is actively diversifying its AV partners, having also secured a six-year deal with electric vehicle maker Lucid and AV startup Nuro.
The Abu Dhabi launch serves as the blueprint for Uber and WeRide’s ambitious global expansion. To accelerate their plan to roll out the service to 15 additional cities across Europe and the Middle East over the next five years, Uber has committed to an additional $100 million equity investment in WeRide.
While the specific list of 15 target cities has not been made public, analysts and corporate statements point to key regulatory-friendly markets. The very next city confirmed for expansion is Dubai, also in the UAE. Furthermore, WeRide has already obtained autonomous driving permits or begun testing in several key European jurisdictions, including Switzerland, France, and Belgium, suggesting these nations will be high on the deployment list.
The expansion will focus entirely on markets outside the US and China, where regulatory complexity and competitive saturation are currently higher. This collaborative model—where WeRide supplies the technology, and Uber handles the customer interface and fleet operations in cooperation with local partners—is designed to rapidly scale to thousands of robotaxis and drive the services toward achieving breakeven unit economics.
Uber has not yet disclosed how revenue from these robotaxi rides is split with its partners.
Meanwhile, competitors are similarly pushing into the market; Lyft recently announced a deal with Waymo to launch robotaxi services in Nashville next year. This rapid cross-pollination of technology and platform services indicates the race for breakeven unit economics and large-scale deployment is accelerating globally.