Dubai rolls out autonomous taxi service with paid rides in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a commercial autonomous taxi service in the emirate’s Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim districts. The service, operated by Dubai Taxi Company in partnership with Baidu’s Apollo Go platform and Chinese autonomous‑driving firm WeRide, is bookable through the Uber or Apollo Go apps. After an initial free‑ride trial period, the RTA announced a fare of Dh5 per trip, stating: “RTA offers the autonomous taxi service for public use in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, in partnership with Apollo Go, for a fare of Dh5.”

The rollout follows a series of trials that began after the first permit for fully driverless testing was issued in January 2026. Dubai plans to deploy 50 autonomous vehicles in the first year, expanding to over 1,000 by 2030 as part of its Self‑Driving Transport Strategy, which aims for driverless trips to account for 25% of journeys in the emirate.