Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has granted permission to two autonomous driving firms, Pony.ai and WeRide, to test their self-driving vehicles on the city’s roads.
The move follows the companies’ announcement of their robotaxi service launch in Singapore.
Pony.ai has started pilot testing in selected areas of Dubai, with the objective of introducing a driverless taxi service by 2026.
The initiative is part of a broader plan to integrate robotaxis into Dubai’s public transport network, supporting Dubai’s aim to convert a quarter of all travel to self-driving modes by 2030.
Pony.ai initiated the mass production of its seventh-generation autonomous driving technology this year.
The expansion of its fleet to over 500 units now covers urban districts in China’s major cities.
Pony.ai is also exploring integration with Uber’s platform for potential service offerings in the Middle East and has commenced round-the-clock testing in Seoul, South Korea.
Additionally, the company is conducting on-road tests in Luxembourg with Emile Weber.
Pony.ai CEO and founder Dr James Peng said: “Building on our collaboration with local partners and regulators, we are committed to accelerating the deployment of our robotaxi services in Dubai and across the broader Middle East market.”
WeRide, on the other hand, received its trial permit from the RTA earlier in the month to commence robotaxi trials.
The company said that the initial robotaxi GXR trial service will serve major commercial and residential areas, with plans to extend to Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai International Airport, and more downtown locations.
The company added that beginning with a fleet of 50 robotaxi GXRs, it “plans to expand its Middle East fleet to 1,000 vehicles and deploy tens of thousands by 2030.”
WeRide has already begun road testing in Dubai’s central areas and will soon start trials with a safety officer onboard through the Uber platform, targeting fully driverless commercial operations by 2026.
At the 2025 Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with RTA to partner on the Dubai Autonomous Zone.
Moreover, WeRide noted that it is carrying out fully driverless robotaxi testing in Abu Dhabi.
