Abu Dhabi is preparing its roads and skies for a driverless, pilotless future. The UAE capital greenlit the Middle East’s first driverless ride-hailing services within designated areas, following two pilot programs by Chinese rivals WeRide and Baidu’s driverless unit ApolloGo, which both have active robotaxi services in China.
WeRide is partnering with Uber and Abu Dhabi transport provider Tawasul so customers can hail driverless cars, while ApolloGo has partnered with AutoGo-K2, a UAE-based autonomous mobility company backed by China’s K2. WeRide robotaxis have logged more than 800,000 kilometers across half of Abu Dhabi’s urban center, while AutoGo-K2 has reached full unmanned service on Yas Island after over 100,000 kilometers of trials.
In the air, regulators are setting rules for autonomous flying taxis and delivery drones and have designated three pilot testing zones: the popular tourist destination Yas Island, the logistics hub Zayed Port, and Abu Dhabi International Airport. All are potential future air corridors in the capital’s airspace for autonomous aircraft to share the skies with planes and helicopters.