Baidu and Uber are taking their global autonomous vehicle partnership to the next level—this time in Dubai. In collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the companies announced that Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, will debut on the Uber platform in the emirate, marking a major milestone for driverless mobility in the Middle East.
The service is expected to launch within the coming month, initially operating fully autonomous vehicles across select locations in the Jumeirah area, with plans to expand citywide as operations scale and regulatory approvals progress.
Dubai riders will be able to experience autonomous travel seamlessly through the Uber app. For trips within the service zone, passengers may be matched with an Apollo Go vehicle when booking UberX or Uber Comfort, or by directly selecting the new “Autonomous” option.
Fleet operations and day-to-day management will be overseen by third-party operator New Horizon, ensuring smooth integration with local infrastructure and regulations.
The launch supports Dubai’s ambitious strategy to make 25% of all transportation trips autonomous by 2030, a cornerstone of the city’s long-term smart mobility vision. By combining Baidu’s autonomous driving technology with Uber’s global ride-hailing platform, the partnership aims to accelerate real-world adoption at scale.
“Bringing Apollo Go to Dubai via the Uber platform marks a pivotal step in our mission to provide safe, efficient, and accessible autonomous mobility worldwide,” said Nan Yang, Vice President of Baidu and General Manager of the Overseas Business Unit, Intelligent Driving Group.
“As a key deliverable of the strategic partnership between Apollo Go and Uber announced last July, this deployment officially brings our autonomous ride-hailing service to Dubai, utilizing Uber’s vast network to turn our shared vision into reality.”
Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous at Uber, added:
“We’re excited to partner with Baidu as we continue to grow our autonomous footprint across Dubai. Just as we helped millions of people try out EVs for the first time, we will expand consumer access to autonomous technology in major cities around the world. With more than 20 AV partners already completing millions of autonomous trips annually, Uber is the global platform where the autonomous vehicle industry can launch at scale.”
The Dubai launch follows a string of recent milestones. In December, Baidu and Uber announced plans to expand Apollo Go to London, marking entry into a right-hand-drive market. Earlier this year, Baidu also inaugurated Apollo Go Park in Dubai, its first overseas operations and management hub, reinforcing the city’s role as a global testbed for autonomous mobility.
Apollo Go enters Dubai with a strong global track record:
240+ million autonomous kilometers logged
140+ million kilometers completed in fully driverless mode
Operations across 22 cities worldwide
250,000+ rides per week
17+ million cumulative rides completed as of October 31, 2025
With this launch, Dubai becomes the latest city where autonomous technology moves from pilot programs to everyday reality—one ride at a time.