Baidu Inc., a leading Chinese tech company, announced on Saturday that its autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, has entered a strategic partnership with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to introduce autonomous driving trials and services in the city.
Under this agreement, Apollo Go plans to deploy 100 fully autonomous vehicles across urban Dubai by the end of 2025, utilizing its latest 6th-generation robotaxi. The company aims to expand the fleet to a minimum of 1,000 vehicles by 2028.
According to Baidu, this marks Apollo Go’s first international fleet operation outside mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as its debut in the Middle East. The initiative will comply with Dubai’s local regulations while catering to regional mobility needs. The collaboration is expected to integrate autonomous ride-hailing into the city’s transport system, enhancing urban mobility and contributing to Dubai’s smart infrastructure development.
Additionally, Apollo Go has entered a strategic alliance with Autogo, a UAE-based autonomous mobility firm, to establish the largest fully driverless fleet in Abu Dhabi.
The partnership will begin with initial trials of multiple Apollo Go autonomous vehicles in designated areas of Abu Dhabi. A phased rollout will follow, leading up to full commercial operations by 2026.
The trials in Abu Dhabi will be conducted in collaboration with the city’s Integrated Transport Centre to ensure alignment with local transportation policies, regulations, and infrastructure planning.
Going forward, Apollo Go and Autogo will jointly scale up commercial robotaxi operations to serve a wider user base and support Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming a smart city.
Related Posts
