Dubai RTA has granted autonomous driving permits to Baidu’s Apollo Go, WeRide, and Pony.ai to start on-road testing in urban Dubai.
DUBAI: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has officially granted on-road autonomous driving test permits to three major global players — Baidu’s Apollo Go, WeRide, and Pony.ai — allowing them to begin real-world trials across the city. This landmark move places Dubai among the global leaders in smart mobility and urban autonomous vehicle testing.
The decision aligns with Dubai’s Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to convert 25% of all transportation in the emirate into autonomous journeys by 2030. By initiating these trials, RTA is taking a significant step towards a future-ready transport ecosystem, enabling safer, more efficient, and sustainable urban mobility.
These permits follow agreements signed earlier this year, reflecting the swift and coordinated progress of Dubai’s smart transport roadmap. Each company will deploy its autonomous vehicles across different parts of the city, ensuring they are thoroughly tested in a wide range of real-life conditions to adapt to local driving behaviours, infrastructure, and climate.
Through this partnership, RTA and its global collaborators are co-developing what could become a global benchmark in autonomous mobility. The trials will serve as a key component in developing safety frameworks and operational standards for future deployment of autonomous taxi services in Dubai.
The RTA reaffirmed its commitment to future-forward transport solutions, with this initiative marking a milestone in Dubai’s ambition to be a world-leading autonomous city.
