Uber Introduces Driverless Rides in Abu Dhabi

Uber has launched driverless taxis in Abu Dhabi with WeRide.

Uber has launched its driverless taxi service in its fourth region, Abu Dhabi. The initiative is implemented in partnership with the Chinese company WeRide, reports CNBC.

With the launch in the UAE capital, driverless robotaxis are now available in the Middle East for the first time. In the United States, Uber already offers similar services in Austin, Phoenix, and Atlanta through Waymo, a company owned by Alphabet.

Users in Abu Dhabi can order a WeRide vehicle when selecting UberX or Uber Comfort. The companies formed a partnership in September 2024, and the first tests with an operator behind the wheel began in December.

In October 2024, Uber and the Chinese company launched a human-supervised service in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In recent years, Uber has been actively developing its driverless taxi division. The service appeared in Austin and Atlanta this year, and in Phoenix at the end of 2023. In July, the company signed a six-year agreement with electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid and startup Nuro.

Meanwhile, WeRide offers driverless robotaxis in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Competitors Are Not Idle

Driverless robotaxis are a modern trend that some companies have embraced.

One of the pioneers in this field is Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet. It launched its service in 2020 and has since completed over 10 million rides.

Currently, the service is available in Austin, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. There are plans to expand to Minneapolis, Tampa, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, Orlando, Detroit, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, San Diego, Washington, and London.

While Waymo and other American companies are making steady progress in developing driverless taxis, Chinese players are advancing into foreign markets noticeably faster.

Many users have already experienced such rides and shared positive feedback on social media. The widespread publicity of the advantages of this mode of transportation may expedite obtaining approvals from regulatory authorities.

In September, Amazon entered the robotaxi race in the US—on September 10, the first public launch of Zoox took place on the Las Vegas Strip.