Uber and WeRide are partnering to provide robotaxis services in Abu Dhabi.
Provided by: Uber Technologies, Inc.
Uber has partnered with China’s WeRide to offer self-driving car rides in Abu Dhabi, the companies announced on Friday.
First, each WeRide robotaxi summoned via the Uber app will be accompanied by a human driver, “ensuring a safe and reliable experience for passengers and pedestrians,” Uber said in a press statement. They aim to offer fully unmanned commercial services in Abu Dhabi in the second half of 2025.
Robotaxis will begin operating between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island, as well as routes to and from Zayed International Airport.
Uber’s partners in the UAE, we rideis a Chinese self-driving car developer. The company is listed on Nasdaq and has permission to test, or both test and operate, driverless vehicles in Dubai, China, Singapore and the United States, according to its website.
BEIJING, CHINA – JULY 11: People take photos of WeRide Robobus, a fully unmanned shuttle capable of SAE Level 4 autonomy, at the Beijing High Level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Area on July 11, 2024 in Beijing, China. (Photo credit: Jia Tianyong/China News Service/VCG, Getty Images)
China News Service | China News Service | Getty Images
During a third-quarter earnings call in late October, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi boasted that the ride-hailing and delivery platform had secured partnerships with more than a dozen different self-driving car companies. did.
“Our autonomy strategy is working,” he said, adding, “Our AV partners clearly understand the significant value that Uber brings to their deployment plans.”
A company spokesperson told CNBC that Uber was already facilitating tens of thousands of self-driving rides per month in the United States before expanding to the UAE.
In a Wednesday note from Redburn Atlantic, analyst James Caldwell pointed to potential “structural risks from self-driving vehicles” to Uber’s core mobility business, saying: Ta. alphabetOwned by Waymo, it stands out today in the U.S. as an Uber partner and potential competitive threat.
“We believe that self-driving will significantly expand the addressable market, and Uber is well-positioned as an aggregator of self-driving vehicle providers,” Caldwell said. The company rates Uber stock a “buy” and has a price target of $90 for the end of 2025.
