Overview
- Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre announced commercial operations for fully driverless Level 4 vehicles and issued the first two permits, including operations by WeRide with Uber and Tawasul, and AutoGo–K2 with ApolloGo–Baidu.
- Uber and WeRide plan to offer driverless Robotaxi GXR rides via the Uber app across initial areas that include Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Maryah Island, Reem Island and Zayed International Airport, with fares aligned to UberX/Comfort.
- Early public test rides featured no safety driver, continuous remote monitoring without remote driving capability, and onboard safeguards such as seatbelt interlocks and app-based door unlocking.
- Executives outlined a gradual deployment that starts with a fraction of the fleet over limited geography, with operations paused during severe dust or fog and systems validated for extreme heat.
- A WeRide vehicle was involved in a collision at the DRIFTx event after a human-driven car merged into its lane without signaling, with no injuries reported, as the fleet’s Abu Dhabi testing reached roughly 800,000 to nearly 1,000,000 kilometres.