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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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Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform
Finance and technology ministers say a comparative study and roadmap will follow before any decision on adopting a model.
Lebanon’s finance and technology ministers met representatives from Visa last week to discuss a proposed unified national digital payment platform for government services, according to a readout from the Ministry of Finance.
The meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh, a Visa delegation, and experts from both ministries. Discussion focused on whether Lebanon could establish a single platform through which citizens and institutions would pay taxes, fees, fines and other official transactions electronically, using mobile phones and other digital channels.
The Visa delegation presented examples from countries that have adopted unified government payment platforms, including the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Estonia and Jordan. According to the readout, the examples were presented as having increased collection rates and expanded financial inclusion.
Talks covered settlement mechanisms, direct transfer to the treasury account, financial reconciliation, risk management, cybersecurity, fees, and an operational model that would involve the private sector. The parties agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations, prepare a comparative study, and develop an implementation roadmap before any decision on adopting a model for Lebanon.
Jaber said the Ministry of Finance had already enabled citizens to pay using credit cards and e-wallets through transfer companies, but described the proposed platform as a further step. He framed the development of electronic payment and collection systems as a priority within the ministry’s modernization plan.
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Shehadeh outlined the citizen-facing concept as a single mobile application through which users could settle obligations to ministries, government institutions and other bodies.
“The idea, in short, is that any citizen downloads an application on their mobile phone, through which they can pay all service obligations for all ministries, government institutions, or those owned by the Lebanese state, and others as well, as the platform is not limited only to state institutions,” he said.
Shehadeh added that the platform would not displace banks and money transfer companies that currently provide collection services to the state, calling it complementary to their work.
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