Driverless taxi trial in Dubai 2025: Apollo Go to roll out 50 autonomous cabs
Driverless taxis are set to be introduced to Dubai roads in 2025.
Experimental trials of 50 self-driving cabs will be introduced in the coming months in the emirate.
The trial, the result of an agreement between the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai and Chinese autonomous ride-hailing service Apollo Go, will expand to a wider public launch of the service next year.
The Apollo Go service has already proved to be a massive success in China, where more than 10 million driverless trips have already been completed.
Dubai will see the RT6, the latest generation of driverless taxis, operate on an initial trial basis this year.
These vehicles are equipped with 40 sensors and detectors to ensure the highest standards of automation and safety. Plans are already in place to introduce 1,000 self-driving cabs by the Chinese brand in the next three years.
Driverless taxis will be introduced in Dubai soon (Credit: Baidu)
This latest agreement comes following a similar announcement earlier in April which promised to bring Uber's WeRide platform to the city.
Dubai's RTA aims to convert 25 percent of all trips across its public transport services into autonomous services by 2030.
Why does Dubai want self-driving taxis?
All this futuristic thinking is part of the UAE government's Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy, which has outlined why the plans are necessary.
The strategy says that, by transforming transport in the country's most populated city, they believe traffic accidents will reduce by 12 per cent and increase productivity by 13 per cent.
The RTA says that driverless services will improve road safety as it reduces the risk of human error in traffic accidents and it will allow a wider segment of the community to be served.
The UAE believes that the strategy will also bring Dhs22 billion in revenue by reducing transportation costs, raising the productivity of individuals, and saving 'hundreds of millions of hours wasted in conventional transportation'.
Autonomous mobility is becoming a reality.
RTA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing service Apollo Go, a global leader in autonomous transport solutions, to roll out autonomous taxis on a large scale across the emirate. The company will…
— RTA (@rta_dubai) April 20, 2025
That rather large figure is a combination of the Dhs900 million predicted savings in transportation costs, Dhs1.5 billion reduction in environmental pollution and a whopping Dhs18 billion in increasing the efficiency of the transportation sector.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, highlighted the benefits of the self-driving service.
He said: 'Self-driving transport has become a reality, with global companies accelerating the development of the necessary technology and software.
'Simultaneously, governments, represented by the relevant authorities, are focusing on licensing autonomous vehicle operations, developing the required infrastructure, and establishing the rules and regulations that govern their use.
'RTA is committed to enhancing Dubai's global leadership in autonomous mobility by trialling various types of autonomous vehicles, air taxis, and marine transport, with the ultimate goal of achieving the objectives of Dubai's Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy.'
In 2024, the RTA completed tests and trials of its self-driving Chevrolet Bolt vehicles in the Jumeirah area of the city but it remains to be seen if these vehicles will be rolled out further.
The plan is for Dubai to eventually have 4,000 driverless taxis on its roads, which is believed to ease traffic, cut emissions and lead to fewer accidents.
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