Uber and WeRide join RTA to roll out driverless rides in Dubai
- Perry Richardson
- Apr 2
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 3
Uber and autonomous vehicle firm WeRide have partnered with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to test and roll out self-driving rides in the city.
The agreement will see the trio working together on pilot schemes designed to integrate autonomous vehicles into everyday transport. Uber will use its platform to connect riders with AVs, while the wider collaboration will explore areas including data use, safety procedures, and regulatory models.
WeRide becomes the first technology partner under this initiative. It previously gained the UAE’s first national licence for public road AV operations in July 2023. Its vehicles launched commercially on Uber in Abu Dhabi in December 2024.
Dubai joins a growing number of global locations where Uber is pushing to bring autonomous vehicles into mainstream service. The move forms part of Dubai’s broader aim to make one in four city journeys driverless by 2030.
The RTA’s Director General and Chairman, Mattar Al Tayer, said the partnership supports the city’s long-term self-driving strategy. He said: “This partnership with Uber, starting with WeRide as the technology partner, represents a crucial step in advancing Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to transform 25% of all journeys in the city into autonomous trips across various transport modes by 2030.
“This collaboration underscores RTA’s commitment to engaging with global technology leaders and forms part of a series of autonomous mobility trials launched in 2016, which have grown in diversity over the past years.”
Uber’s Global Head of Autonomous Mobility, Noah Zych, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority to bring autonomous vehicles onto the Uber platform, starting with our technology partner WeRide. At Uber, we’re building the future of transportation, working with the world’s leading autonomous vehicle developers to help commercialise and deploy this technology at scale around the world.”
Jennifer Li, Chief Financial Officer and Head of International Business at WeRide, added: “Dubai marks a natural step forward in our commitment to advancing mobility in the Middle East as well as our continued global expansion. We believe our advanced autonomous driving technology and operational experience combined with Uber’s powerful global mobility platform will help us serve millions of consumers in cities around the world.”
