Baidu's fully driverless Apollo Go robotaxis are now live on the Uber platform in Dubai, marking the first real-world deployment of Uber's multi-partner autonomous vehicle network on public roads1,6,7.
The service launched on August 20, with UAE-based New Horizon Luxury Transport serving as fleet operator5. Riders requesting UberX or Uber Comfort in select areas of Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah may be matched with an Apollo Go vehicle, or can select a dedicated "Autonomous" option in the Uber app to increase the likelihood of a driverless match4. The operating territory is due to expand across the emirate.
The vehicles are Apollo Go's sixth-generation RT6 — a purpose-built, fully electric robotaxi with no safety operator on board, seating up to three passengers. The RT6 carries more than 30 sensors, including lidar, radar, and cameras, feeding real-time onboard processing. A Dubai launch note from February cited a higher count of 40-plus sensors.
Dubai is the first city where Baidu operates both a self-run Apollo Go app service and a partner-based ride-hailing integration internationally, according to Baidu Vice President Nan Yang. Apollo Go launched its own app in Dubai in March and has established what Gasgoo described as the city's largest autonomous vehicle fleet2. In January, Apollo Go opened a 2,000-square-metre operations hub at Dubai Science Park, built to manage more than 1,000 vehicles.
"Launching in Dubai marks the first time our multi-partner vision comes to life on public roads," said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's global head of autonomous. Uber described the Dubai launch as the inaugural step in a multi-year strategic partnership with Baidu, with plans to scale thousands of Apollo Go vehicles across Uber's global network. Uber said it has more than 30 autonomous vehicle partners worldwide.
Globally, Apollo Go has expanded to 28 cities, completed more than 23 million orders, and accumulated over 350 million autonomous kilometres, including more than 240 million fully driverless kilometres. Weekly rides recently passed 250,000.
The launch sits within a broader autonomous mobility push in Dubai. The day before the Uber integration went live, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority reported that robotaxi operations in the emirate had surpassed 4 million kilometres and 7,613 passenger trips, with a 97% customer satisfaction rate8. The RTA's robotaxi fleet stands at 144 vehicles, with 48 in active operation completing around 50 trips daily. The RTA holds partnerships with Apollo Go, WeRide, and Pony.ai. Dubai's strategic target is to make 25% of all transportation trips autonomous by 2030.
Abu Dhabi's Yas Island has had fully driverless Uber and WeRide robotaxis since late 2025. In the United States, Nevada regulators have approved Uber to operate up to 1,000 robotaxis in Las Vegas for commercial autonomous transport3.
ANALYSIS The Dubai deployment is structurally distinct from Uber's existing autonomous partnerships — such as the WeRide integration in Abu Dhabi — because it is the first to operate within what Uber calls a multi-partner network, where vehicles from different AV manufacturers share a single rider marketplace alongside human drivers. The planned scale to thousands of Apollo Go vehicles, combined with the Nevada approval for up to 1,000 robotaxis in Las Vegas, signals that Uber is moving autonomous ride-hailing from isolated pilots toward integrated commercial operations across multiple geographies simultaneously.