Uber partners with China’s WeRide to offer robotaxi rides in UAE

UBER Technologies is partnering with Chinese autonomous car company WeRide to expand its robotaxi offering to the United Arab Emirates.

Users of the Uber app in Abu Dhabi will be able to book a ride in a robotaxi from later this year, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday (Sep 25).

Uber has signed a string of deals with driverless car companies including Alphabet’s Waymo and Cruise as part of an effort to position itself as a platform for commercialising autonomous vehicles. It’s a departure from its past ambitions to build self-driving car technology in-house.

Guangzhou-based WeRide was granted the UAE’s first national licence for self-driving cars in July 2023 and operates the largest robotaxi fleet in the Gulf state, according to the statement. The company had eight driverless taxis when it won the licence.

The announcement precedes the unveiling of Tesla’s robotaxi offering next month. BLOOMBERG