By Uber has taken another step in its global autonomous strategy by activating fully driverless rides in Abu Dhabi, using WeRide’s technology to anchor its Middle East expansion.
The service went live on Wednesday and makes the United Arab Emirates capital the first city in the region where Uber is offering a completely driverless robotaxi.
The launch forms part of Uber’s wider plan to scale its autonomous partnerships across continents.
It also reflects how the company is blending different regional trials in the US, China, and the Middle East into a larger network of robotaxi operations.
Middle East deployment
Riders in Abu Dhabi can now request a WeRide robotaxi when booking an UberX or Uber Comfort ride.
This is the first time Uber has offered a fully driverless service in the Middle East, after beginning supervised autonomous trips with an operator on board in the city last December.
That phase followed the formalisation of the Uber and WeRide partnership in September 2024.
The companies also extended their autonomous testing across the region earlier, launching robotaxi rides with a safety operator in Riyadh in October.
Abu Dhabi is the first location where the collaboration has progressed to the driverless stage.
Global partnerships widen
Uber has been steadily expanding its robotaxi presence across the US.
It began offering autonomous rides in Phoenix in late 2023 and later added Austin and Atlanta.
The company announced in July that it had signed a six-year robotaxi agreement with electric vehicle firm Lucid and autonomous driving startup Nuro, giving it more partners and more vehicle types as it builds a larger autonomous ecosystem.
This multi-partner structure is now central to Uber’s approach, allowing it to enter new markets without manufacturing its own autonomous vehicles.
China’s influence in the rollout
WeRide’s participation in the Abu Dhabi launch shows China’s growing role in global autonomous transport.
The Nasdaq-listed company already operates full driverless robotaxi services in Beijing and Guangzhou, according to its website.
The Abu Dhabi deployment now adds another international test environment to WeRide’s portfolio.
In May, Uber said it would expand the WeRide service to 15 more cities over the next five years, including European locations.
The shift to a fully driverless service in Abu Dhabi gives WeRide a new benchmark outside China and sets the stage for broader commercial adoption across multiple regions.
Service features on Yas Island
Uber said the driverless vehicles will operate within specific zones around Yas Island.
Riders have the option to increase their chances of receiving a robotaxi by selecting the autonomous choice in the app before booking.
The ride experience includes access to support through the Uber app and through a tablet placed inside the vehicle, allowing riders to seek assistance if required at any point in the journey.
While Uber has not disclosed how revenue from robotaxi trips is shared between partners, the company continues to use each market to study rider behaviour, service demand, and operational efficiency.
The growing competition in autonomous transport is also shaping expansion plans.
Lyft announced in September that it had signed a deal with Waymo to bring robotaxis to Nashville next year.
With more companies preparing multi-city rollouts, the sector is shifting from testing stages to broader deployment.
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