Uber and Chinese company WeRide have teamed up to introduce a robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi, marking Uber’s first foray into international autonomous vehicles.
Uber has been forming partnerships with various autonomous vehicle companies in different sectors, such as ride-hail, delivery, and trucking. Some of their partners include Wayve, Serve Robotics, Aurora Innovation, Waabi, among others.
Despite concerns from investors about Uber’s ability to compete with tech companies like Waymo and Tesla, Uber recently faced a stock drop when Waymo announced plans to launch a robotaxi service in Miami. The autonomous vehicle industry disruption is expected to take time, and Uber could still play a role in connecting riders to these new technologies.
The initial launch of Uber and WeRide’s robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi will be limited in scale, with routes between Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, and Zayed International Airport. The number of vehicles has not been disclosed, but plans for expansion are in place for the future.
Each vehicle will have a human safety operator at the start, with a fully driverless commercial launch planned for later in 2025. Local company Tawasul Transport will assist in managing fleet operations.
