Experience The Future Of Travel In Dubai With Uber And Baidu’s Autonomous Ride Hailing

Published on February 11, 2026

Dubai is once again leading the world in transportation with the first-ever fully autonomous ride-hailing services, thanks to a deal between Baidu and Uber. It is the first city in the world to offer this service. With the new Apollo Go ride-hailing service from Baidu, in partnership with Uber, customers in the Jumeirah area will soon be able to hail a ride in an autonomous vehicle through the Uber app. This launch will include driverless vehicles and will be expanding to additional areas soon.

As part of this partnership, the City of Dubai is implementing part of its Vision 2030, a plan to make 25% of all trips taken in the city autonomous. This is a positive step and brings Dubai one step closer to its goal of being a global leader in autonomous transportation.

A New Era in Self-Driving Transportation

The Dubai RTA, in partnership with Baidu and Uber, is making a major milestone in Dubai’s vision of having a smart city with high-tech transport solutions. Apollo Go, a service that has recently been launched in several markets, allows consumers in Dubai to book fully self-driving cars using Uber’s app, selecting them in Uber Comfort and UberX. Moreover, passengers may select an “Autonomous” option to book a self-driving vehicle.

This partnership is set to give users an integrated experience that includes self-driving cars for all types of transport, whether it be an everyday commute, a quick drive, or a longer ride to Jumeirah. As the service expands to cover more of the city and the fleet increases, it will be recalibrated in accordance with the regulatory and operational frameworks.

The Apollo Go Autonomous Service

Apollo Go is the first fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the world and is a product of Baidu. So far, the service has logged over 240 million kilometers, a large portion of which has been driven completely autonomously, and is operating in over 22 cities. In addition, the service is completing over 250,000 rides every week.

Apollo Go has extensive experience operating in a testing environment and has climate-adaptive vehicles that are capable of performing in the heat of Dubai. These vehicles are equipped with advanced thermal systems that provide fans with warm air and passengers with a comfortable environment even during extreme temperatures.

New Ventures and the RTA of Dubai are partnering with Baidu and Uber in this venture for the launch of the first autonomous ride-hailing service in Dubai. In addition, this venture aims to promote the RTA’s commitment to Dubai’s Urban Mobility plan and the end of autonomous vehicles.

Dubai’s Ambitious Vision 2030

Part of developing the city’s infrastructure includes Dubai’s Vision 2030, developing a sustainable, future-oriented transportation system. The city is developing a public transport, sustainable, low-emission, and eco-friendly transport option that will reduce emissions and improve traffic congestion from personal vehicles. Autonomous vehicles, such as Apollo Go, will allow consumers to move about without using traditional vehicles.

You can also use other transport methods that use the activated transport technology and improve the smart transport network in Dubai. This will create other opportunities for cities and the world to improve their transport networks.

Dubai’s RTA is creating a new intelligent transport system that is integrated with the public driverless transport system. This creates a new system to manage the growing population and visitors in Dubai. It is the next phase of autonomous transport. Dubai is developing public transport to meet the 2030 goal of 25% of trips in Dubai being autonomous. This sets a high target for Dubai to prove itself as a Global Leader in transport/ Mobility Innovation.

Consumer Experience: Automated Transportation with Uber

In Dubai, passengers will be able to book a ride with Apollo Go just like any normal ride-hailing process. Once the service starts, users will be able to choose the “Autonomous” option along with UberX or Uber Comfort. This is a simple integration with Uber, which will allow users to experience a fully autonomous ride-hailing service.

Initially, Apollo Go vehicles will be located in the Jumeirah area. They will expand with the acquisition of operational data (within the area of the vehicles) and regulatory data (across the regions of the vehicles). The vehicles will be fully autonomous and won’t have any drivers, along with the necessary remote assistance features.

Passengers will receive a cutting-edge service, which, besides the futuristic experience, will also help reduce the overall peak congestion (less severe peak hour congestion) and improve the overall mobility of the city. Most importantly, the service will reduce the overall environmental footprint of the traditional modes of transport. The service will become a fundamental part of Dubai’s transport ecosystem.

Operational and Regulatory Considerations

All new tech needs regulatory laws to implement. The RTA partners with Baidu and Uber to make sure services are in compliance with the safe tech laws of Dubai. With the new partner, RTA can make tweaks to services in compliance with the law when starting the Apollo Go service. Developers can use real-time data from customers to adjust services and resolve issues.

Fleet management for the Apollo Go service will be assigned to New Horizon. This third party will oversee the management of the service to ensure the safe operation of the vehicles and the service as a whole. This will include oversight of the fleet, customer service, and the safety and security of all passengers to the fleet.

Looking Toward the Future

The new partnership with Baidu, Uber, and the RTA is a long-awaited development for Dubai to be a leader in fully autonomous vehicles. Soon, Uber will offer its ride-hailing service in Dubai, giving passengers the chance to enjoy the latest and greatest technology.

The opening of autonomous ride-hailing services provided by Apollo Go in Dubai marks the beginning of a new era in the way urban transport operates. With a clear goal of achieving 25% of trips to be autonomous by 2030, Dubai is determined to implement the latest mobility technology to provide smart and sustainable transport solutions. Alongside the advancements of autonomous vehicles in the Dubai transport ecosystem, the way people move in the city will change and improve the mobility experience of residents and tourists.