Uber and WeRide are partnering to provide robotaxis services in Abu Dhabi.
Provided by: Uber Technologies, Inc.
BEIJING – Despite the ongoing Iran war, at least three Chinese robotaxi companies are moving forward with expansion plans in the Middle East.
Ride-hailing company Didi plans to launch its first overseas robotaxi trial in the United Arab Emirates later this year, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Didi Chuxing co-founder and head of autonomous driving business Zhang Bo revealed the plan at the UAE-China Business Cooperation Forum in Beijing earlier this week, according to a statement. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday as part of a three-day state visit.
Didi’s UAE pilot program follows a broader push by Chinese self-driving companies in the region.
Guangzhou-based WeRide announced earlier this month that it had launched a fully driverless robot taxi service in Dubai’s Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim districts. Passengers can book robotaxis through Uber’s app.
Pony.ai is also promoting commercial operations in the emirate. In late March, Pony.ai CEO James Penn said in response to a question from CNBC that the war had not affected its commercial license application in Dubai and that he believed the dispute was short-term.
In September, a Chinese robotaxi company announced that it had received permission from the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority to test autonomous driving locally.
On April 1, Baidu’s robotaxi arm Apollo Go also announced that residents and tourists in Dubai can start hailing fully driverless rides through its app. It was not immediately clear whether there were any restrictions on activity.
The Dubai Media Office said in a social media post that the rollout will start with 50 vehicles, with plans to deploy more than 1,000 robotaxis over the next few years.
The Chinese robotaxi company has stepped up its global expansion plans over the past two years, with the Middle East emerging as an early launch market, followed by testing in Europe. Meanwhile, Alphabet-backed Waymo has expanded its fleet to more parts of the U.S. and started testing in London and Japan.
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