Uber Technologies and Chinese autonomous‑mobility leader Baidu announced a partnership that will bring Baidu’s Apollo Go driverless fleet to Dubai’s Jumeirah district via the Uber app, with a planned launch in March 2026. The service will allow riders to book fully autonomous vehicles through the Uber platform, marking the first commercial deployment of Apollo Go outside China.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has granted the necessary approvals for the pilot, and the city’s broader strategy aims for 25 % of all transportation trips to be autonomous by 2030. The partnership aligns with that goal, positioning Uber as the demand‑side platform that connects passengers to Baidu’s autonomous fleet while giving Baidu a foothold in a high‑profile global market.
For Uber, the deal expands its autonomous footprint without the heavy capital outlay required for in‑house vehicle development. Baidu, meanwhile, gains a critical overseas testbed and a revenue stream from a leading ride‑hailing platform, accelerating the internationalization of its Apollo Go technology. The collaboration also signals to investors that both companies are pursuing a multi‑partner strategy to scale autonomous mobility faster than any single‑company effort could achieve.
Nan Yang, Vice President of Baidu’s Overseas Business Unit, said the launch “marks a pivotal step in our mission to provide safe, efficient, and accessible autonomous mobility worldwide.” Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s Global Head of Autonomous, added that the partnership “expands consumer access to autonomous technology in major cities around the world” and that Uber’s platform will help scale Baidu’s technology across multiple markets.
The launch is expected to generate early revenue for both firms and to provide valuable operational data that will inform future regulatory negotiations and fleet‑management decisions. As Dubai continues to refine its autonomous‑vehicle framework, the partnership positions both Uber and Baidu to capture a growing share of the emerging autonomous‑mobility market and to influence the design of next‑generation transportation policies.
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