Uber users in Dubai can now hail a driverless taxi via the Uber app, thanks to a partnership announcement on Thursday by the ride-hailing company. The company revealed that Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis had been integrated into its system.
The integration marks an important step for Dubai’s push for driverless cars, and an expansion of a pilot program where Apollo Go had previously been operating on its own within the emirate. The new venture, called New Horizon Luxury Transport, will be launched by the Dubai Taxi Company.
The companies involved consider it to be the start of something much bigger, with CEO Christophe de Reffye stating that Dubai would act as a launchpad for thousands of Apollo robots across the world.
From August 20, passengers requesting an UberX or Uber Comfort trip in Dubai may automatically be paired with a driverless Apollo Go car, or they can select an “Autonomous” option in the app to raise their chances of getting one. For now, the fully driverless option is limited to parts of Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, with wider coverage planned later.
The vehicles being deployed are Apollo Go’s sixth-generation RT6 model, a purpose-built electric robotaxi fitted with more than 30 sensors for navigation and real-time hazard detection.
Each car seats up to three passengers and features sliding electric doors, live remote support typically responding within a minute, and lidar-and-camera-based driving systems. Uber has also disclosed that the vehicles may record audio and video for safety monitoring purposes.
Dubai’s driverless taxi programme first went live commercially on March 30, 2026, when the Roads and Transport Authority rolled out 100 autonomous vehicles across Apollo Go and WeRide in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah.
What began as free rides during Apollo Go’s early trial phase has since shifted to a paid service, mirroring WeRide’s model, which was already bookable through Uber.
According to Dubai Media Office figures released Wednesday, the emirate’s robotaxis have together covered more than four million kilometres and completed 7,613 passenger trips since the programme began.
The RTA now runs autonomous vehicle partnerships with three separate operators, Apollo Go, WeRide and Pony.ai, as it works to fold driverless mobility into Dubai’s wider public transport network.
