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Uber And WeRide Roll Out Driverless Robotaxis In Abu Dhabi
Yas Island becomes the first site where Uber offers fully autonomous rides outside the US, backed by Abu Dhabi’s city-level permit.
Uber and WeRide have switched on fully driverless robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi, marking the first commercial rollout of Level 4 autonomous vehicles in the Middle East and the first market outside the US to host them on Uber’s platform.
The launch rests on a city-level permit issued by Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) and supported by local fleet operator Tawasul — a regulatory green light both companies say is rare outside the US. It follows a federal permit WeRide secured in late 2025, which authorized fully driverless commercial operations across the UAE subject to emirate approval.
Operations begin on Yas Island with no driving specialist required inside the vehicle. Expansion is slated across the capital through 2025, including districts already covered by earlier supervised pilots. Riders can request WeRide cars through Uber Comfort, UberX, or a new “Autonomous” category — Uber’s first dedicated self-driving option anywhere. “This milestone represents a major step toward the large-scale deployment of self-driving mobility solutions in the UAE,” the companies said in a recent press release.
The firms point to utilization gains, new licensing, and a maturing regulatory framework as signs that the service can reach breakeven. Their joint robotaxi partnership launched in 2024 and grew again in 2025 to cover about half of Abu Dhabi’s core areas, including Al Reem and Al Maryah. More coverage is planned for the city center by year-end.
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WeRide has operated in Abu Dhabi since 2021 and holds a national license authorizing autonomous testing and operations across public roads. The company now runs more than 100 robotaxis in the region, giving it a four-year head start in local deployment. Uber and WeRide both frame Abu Dhabi as a base for expanding to thousands of robotaxis across the Middle East.
The move strengthens the UAE’s push to embed autonomous mobility within its broader digitalization agenda and positions Abu Dhabi as a live test bed for commercial driverless transport.
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Noon And Yango Switch On Robot Deliveries In Dubai
The rollout folds autonomous couriers into noon’s rapid-delivery network as the UAE tests everyday autonomy.
Noon and Yango Group have signed an agreement to put autonomous robot deliveries into commercial use in Dubai, turning Yango’s earlier pilots into a daily service for noon Minutes orders. The launch in Sobha Hartland is the first full integration of Yango Autonomy’s electric robots with a major e-commerce network in the region, with wider deployment planned across Dubai and, later, other GCC markets.
Residents can choose a robot at checkout, track it in the app and unlock its compartment once it arrives. The hardware runs on Yango’s AI navigation and routing stack, which plans paths, avoids obstacles and yields to pedestrians. The units had already covered more than 1,500 kilometers during previous Dubai pilots, a test bed that demonstrated their ability to operate in mixed pedestrian environments and dense residential streets.
The rollout adds a contactless option to noon’s last-mile network and is positioned as extra capacity during peak periods. “Partnering with Yango Group lets us bring a future-ready delivery option straight to our customers,” said Ali Kafil-Hussain, noon’s Chief Business Officer. Noon has used Minutes to set rapid-delivery expectations in UAE cities; autonomous units now slot into that same high-frequency model.
Regulatory clearance from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority underpins the move. The RTA authorized Yango’s robots to operate on public walkways and in neighborhoods, smoothing the shift from controlled trials to commercial work. Dubai has framed autonomous mobility as part of its smart-city buildout, and the partners lean on that agenda to accelerate integration.
Also Read: Uber And WeRide Roll Out Driverless Robotaxis In Abu Dhabi
For Yango, the partnership is an anchor for its autonomy platform in the Gulf. Islam Abdul Karim, Yango’s Middle East regional head, said the aim is to make autonomous delivery an “everyday, reliable service” for UAE communities. The company views operational data from early districts as the basis for scaling into more communities and, eventually, cross-border rollouts.
The move lands as Gulf retailers search for faster fulfilment and lower-emission logistics. Autonomous couriers remain a small share of last-mile delivery, but Dubai’s approvals and early usage data give the partners a clearer path to turn pilots into durable infrastructure.
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