Uber and WeRide ramp up robotaxi operations in Dubai

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide have launched robotaxi operations without a human safety operator in Dubai as part of a broader expansion in the Middle East. Riders can now book the vehicles through Uber’s app, with operations in commercial and industrial districts like Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Investment Park Second, and Jabal Ali Industrial First, as well as suburban areas and the maritime trading hub Al Hamriya Port. The service is operated locally by Tawasul, a mobility and fleet operator in the United Arab Emirates. The companies first introduced robotaxis to Dubai in December under a pilot program but didn’t charge for rides and still had a human safety operator on board. The government’s Roads and Transport Authority issued a driverless vehicle trial permit to the companies last month. The deployment signals an escalation in WeRide’s robotaxi operations in the region and Uber’s continued involvement in the company. Uber holds a 5.82% stake in WeRide, according to documents filed Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Last year, it invested $100 million into WeRide. Uber’s equity stake is valued at around $150 million based on WeRide’s closing stock price on Monday. “Bringing fully driverless vehicles to Dubai is an important milestone in making autonomous mobility a global reality,” Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, said in a statement. “This launch underscores our deep commitment to the UAE and our vision for a hybrid world — where drivers and AVs operate side-by-side to create a more resilient network. Especially during challenging times in the region, we are proud to be a partner to this city, ensuring that Uber is always there to help people move seamlessly and with confidence.” Uber increased its investment into WeRide in May 2025 as part of a commercial robotaxi partnership to bring service to another 15 cities over the next five years. The companies have previously shared that the expansion would include cities in Europe. Under the partnership, WeRide’s robotaxi services are available through the Uber app. The relationship is similar to Uber’s deal with Waymo, in which the ride-hailing company handles the network routing and fleet operations, while the autonomous vehicle company remains responsible for the AV tech. Correction March 31 at 12:15 p.m. PT: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Uber had increased its stake in WeRide. An earlier version of this article also misstated the value of Uber’s equity stake in WeRide. It is around $150 million as of Monday. Topics robotaxi, Transportation, Uber, weride Kirsten Korosec Transportation Editor Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in-car tech for more than a decade. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive. You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at kkorosec.07 on Signal.

View Bio April 30 San Francisco, CA StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. REGISTER NOW Most Popular Why OpenAI really shut down Sora Connie Loizos The Pixel 10a doesn’t have a camera bump, and it’s great Ivan Mehta Anthropic’s Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing Julie Bort Waymo’s skyrocketing ridership in one chart Kirsten Korosec A major hacking tool has leaked online, putting millions of iPhones at risk. Here’s what you need to know. Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai The AI skills gap is here, says AI company, and power users are pulling ahead Rebecca Bellan Google unveils TurboQuant, a new AI memory compression algorithm — and yes, the internet is calling it ‘Pied Piper’ Sarah Perez