Baidu Sets 2026 Target for Driverless Robotaxis in Dubai

 

 

“Baidu plans to start operating fully driverless robotaxis in Dubai as it tries to replicate its success in China's Wuhan in an overseas market.

 

In an agreement with Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority, "we hope to reach fully driverless commercialization to the public by the first quarter of next year," said Liang Zhang, managing director of EMEA at Baidu's Apollo Go, on Thursday.

 

Apollo Go, the Chinese tech giant's robotaxi arm, wants to have over 1,000 robotaxis on Dubai's roads by the end of 2027 or early 2028, Zhang added.

 

Baidu has started testing 50 robotaxis in designated areas with test driving licenses and autonomous-driving permits. The testing so far requires a human safety officer in the vehicle.

 

"The policy in the Middle East is relatively open," Zhang said. "The region is also quite open for new technology so we will likely take the Middle East as a key region for commercialization and scaling up fleet size."

 

Dubai, given its strong demand and good transportation infrastructure, has been a good fit for robotaxis, Zhang said.

 

Baidu operates over 1,000 robotaxis globally and it claims that it has achieved single-unit break-even in Wuhan, meaning it books a profit every time it adds a car to its fleet. The company now wants to expand overseas and scale up its operations.

 

The Middle East has become a popular destination for Chinese robotaxis operators, including Pony AI, WeRide and Apollo Go, thanks to supportive policies. Baidu has partnered with Autogo to deploy robotaxis in Abu Dhabi. Pony AI and WeRide both partnered with Uber in Dubai.

 

Apollo Go also is expanding its services to Europe as the company signed a partnership with Lyft in August and plans to launch its robotaxis in Germany and the U.K. first.” [1]

 

1. Baidu Sets 2026 Target for Driverless Robotaxis in Dubai. Huang, Jiahui.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 29 Sep 2025: B3.