Key Takeaways
- Uber Technologies will add WeRide’s robotaxi fleet to its pool of vehicles in the United Arab Emirates later this year.
- WeRide signed the country’s first and only license for autonomous vehicles in 2023.
- Uber previously announced a partnership with Alphabet’s Waymo to bring self-driving rides to Austin and Atlanta next year, along with existing service in Phoenix.
Uber Technologies (UBER) is adding self-driving cars from WeRide to its ride-sharing platform, hitting the road in the United Arab Emirates later this year, the company said Wednesday.
The partnership is expected to launch in Abu Dhabi, where some customers will have the option to be driven by an autonomous vehicle (AV). WeRide, based in China, operates the largest robotaxi fleet in the UAE and signed the country’s first and only license for self-driving cars last year, Uber said. The partners said they don’t plan to launch a similar service in the U.S. or China.
“It’s clear that the future of mobility will be increasingly shared, electric, and autonomous, and we look forward to working with leading AV companies like WeRide to help bring the benefits of autonomous technology to cities around the world,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.
Self-Driving Ubers in the US
Earlier this month, Uber said it would expand its partnership with Alphabet-owned (GOOGL) Waymo to add driverless car rides in Austin and Atlanta beginning early next year.
The company said it will “manage and dispatch a fleet of Waymo’s fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles that will grow to hundreds over time” in those two U.S. cities. Uber already provides driverless rides in Phoenix.