Uber officially flipped the switch on fully driverless rides in Abu Dhabi today, marking a major milestone as the first robotaxi service to launch in the Middle East.
Through a strategic partnership with Chinese autonomous technology firm WeRide, users on Yas Island can now be matched with a vehicle featuring no human driver when booking through the standard UberX or Uber Comfort options.
While WeRide has been operating with safety drivers in the region since late 2023, today’s update removes the human operator entirely, signaling a massive vote of confidence in the technology’s maturity.
This move underscores Uber’s aggressive “asset-light” strategy for dominating the autonomous future.
Rather than manufacturing its own vehicles, the company is rapidly scaling through high-profile alliances with players like Alphabet’s Waymo in the US and now WeRide globally.
Abu Dhabi joins Austin, Phoenix, and Atlanta as the only cities where Uber currently offers this level of autonomy.
However, plans are already in motion to expand the WeRide partnership to 15 more cities across Europe and beyond over the next five years.
Key Takeaways:
- Global Expansion: Abu Dhabi becomes Uber’s fourth market for fully driverless rides, following successful rollouts in three major US cities.
- Strategic Partnerships: The launch validates Uber’s strategy of partnering with established AV tech leaders (like WeRide and Waymo) rather than building proprietary hardware.
- Seamless Integration: The service is fully integrated into the existing Uber app, allowing riders on Yas Island to opt in for autonomous pickups without needing a separate platform.
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