WeRide has secured approval to operate commercial, fully driverless robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The permit, issued on 31 October, authorises the Chinese autonomous driving firm to run robotaxis without safety drivers.
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The company said it is among the first to obtain a city-level commercial permit for Level 4 autonomous driving outside the US, and the first international company to do so in the UAE.
WeRide said it plans to grow its Middle East fleet to 1,000 robotaxis by 2026 and ultimately deploy tens of thousands by 2030.
Commercial services will launch on the Uber and TXAI platforms in Abu Dhabi, with further details to follow.
WeRide said its application was approved after a comprehensive assessment process.
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By GlobalDataIn July 2023, WeRide received the UAE’s first national licence covering all categories of self-driving vehicles, allowing autonomous testing and operations on public roads nationwide, subject to emirate-level permissions.
Guided by the relevant authorities, the company said it completed a “rigorous” testing programme that led to approval for fully driverless commercial operations.
WeRide has operated robotaxis with TXAI in Abu Dhabi since 2021.
In December 2024, WeRide and Uber began a robotaxi ride-hailing partnership in Abu Dhabi, described as the largest commercial robotaxi service outside the US and China.
The partnership was expanded in July 2025 to cover around half of Abu Dhabi’s core districts, including Al Reem and Al Maryah.
Together with partners, WeRide aims to extend services across most of the city’s core by the end of 2025.
As of October 2025, WeRide said its robotaxis had accumulated close to one million kilometres in Abu Dhabi.
The latest permit removes the need for an in-vehicle safety officer, which the company said enables its robotaxi operations in the emirate to reach financial breakeven on a unit economics basis.
In August, Grab made a strategic equity investment in WeRide to expedite the rollout of Level 4 robotaxis and shuttles across the Southeast Asian region.
Grab’s investment is slated for completion by the first half of 2026.
