Abu Dhabi – Sharikat Mubasher: Uber launched its first fully driverless robotaxi service in the Middle East, activating autonomous rides in Abu Dhabi powered by China’s WeRide.

As per a recent press release, this rollout makes the UAE capital the first city in the region where Uber offers a completely driverless service.

Riders can now request a WeRide robotaxi when booking UberX or Uber Comfort, following a year of supervised autonomous testing and the formalisation of the Uber–WeRide partnership in 2024. Abu Dhabi is the first Middle Eastern market to advance to full driverless operations, ahead of similar trials underway in Riyadh.

The launch is part of Uber’s broader push to expand its autonomous network, which already includes Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta. For WeRide—which operates fully driverless services in Beijing and Guangzhou—the Abu Dhabi deployment marks a key international milestone. 

The driverless vehicles are operating in designated zones around Yas Island, with riders able to increase their chances of receiving a robotaxi by selecting the autonomous option in the Uber app.