Uber’s robotaxi autonomous driving service is making its first international market entry in UAE’s capital of Abu Dhabi. The service, which was launched today, is in partnership with Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company WeRide. The launch, says Uber, represents the first time international debut of Uber’s autonomous vehicles (AVs) fleet, outside of the United States. It is also the largest commercial robotaxi service outside the U.S. and China.
The fleet size though, remains undisclosed. The first rollout will take place between Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, and along routes to and from Zayed International Airport, with plans to expand in the future.
Uber’s robotaxi launch comes right on the heels of Google-backed Waymo’s similar launch in Miami. And while Uber may have taken the tech to international shores, experts believe that companies actually making these autonomous taxis, will have an edge over aggregators such as Uber. Nevertheless, it will truly take years for the tech to truly scale and commercialise, considering how road conditions and traffic vastly differ within the same city itself, across the world.
A human safety operator will be present in each vehicle to start, with a fully driverless commercial launch planned for later in 2025.
In case you are in Abu Dhabi and wish to experience this tech first hand, you could increase chances of being matched with a WeRide AV by opting in via the Ride Preferences section of their Uber app under Settings.
