Uber Technologies has launched its first robotaxi service outside the United States, rolling out autonomous rides in Abu Dhabi in partnership with Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide.
This marks a significant step in Uber’s global ambitions to lead the autonomous ride-hailing market.
The new service allows riders to book autonomous vehicles at UberX or Uber Comfort rates in popular tourist areas of the United Arab Emirates' capital, including Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, and routes to and from Zayed International Airport. Uber plans to expand the service's coverage in the near future.
Initially, safety operators will accompany rides in these autonomous vehicles, but the company aims to transition to a fully driverless service by 2025.
This launch is part of Uber’s strategy to integrate autonomous technology into its platform without developing the technology in-house. Uber has partnered with at least seven companies since June, including Alphabet’s Waymo, and invested in several autonomous startups like WeRide.
Uber’s collaboration with local entities also supports the service in Abu Dhabi. The UAE's Integrated Transport Centre and Tawasul Transport, a national transport company, are providing logistical and fleet management services for WeRide’s autonomous vehicles. However, Uber has not disclosed the fleet size for this initiative.
Despite its advancements, Uber faces increasing competition in the autonomous vehicle sector. Alphabet's Waymo, which partners with Uber in some US cities, has also launched its own independent robotaxi services in key markets like San Francisco and plans to expand to Miami in 2026. This announcement caused Uber shares to drop 9.6% and rival Lyft shares to fall 10% on Thursday.
In addition to Waymo, Uber also faces potential challenges from Elon Musk’s planned robotaxi network, which has yet to launch.