Nan Yang, Vice President of Baidu, with Mansoor Rahma Alfalasi, Group CEO of Dubai Taxi Company.

Dubai has taken a major step toward future mobility with the launch of fully driverless taxis, now available for commercial use through a partnership between Dubai Taxi Company and Baidu. The service operates via Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, Apollo Go, marking its first international app deployment. Residents and visitors can now book driverless rides using the Apollo Go app, with plans to expand availability to other platforms in the future. The rollout will begin with 50 vehicles in its first year, with plans to scale up to more than 1,000 autonomous taxis in the coming years. Officials said the initiative supports Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to convert 25 percent of all trips in the emirate into autonomous journeys by 2030. Nan Yang, Vice President of Baidu, said the partnership represents “a new chapter for autonomous mobility in Dubai,” adding that the goal is to deliver a “safe, efficient and scalable ride-hailing service.” Mansoor Rahma Alfalasi, Group CEO of Dubai Taxi Company, said the launch marks “a significant milestone in advancing the emirate’s vision for smart and sustainable mobility.” The initiative follows a key milestone in January 2026, when Apollo Go received Dubai’s first permit to test fully autonomous vehicles without a safety driver. Baidu also opened its first overseas Apollo Go operations hub in Dubai earlier this year, further strengthening the emirate’s position as a global hub for smart transport innovation. ICA/Expat Media
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