Baidu Apollo Go Obtains Dubai Driverless Permit and Opens Overseas Hub

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has granted Apollo Go, the autonomous ride-hailing platform of Baidu Inc., the emirate's first driverless vehicle trial permit. The permit authorizes Apollo Go to operate fully autonomous vehicles on designated public roads without a human safety driver behind the wheel, advancing its target of launching a commercial ride-hailing service in Dubai as early as the first quarter of 2026.

The permit was formally issued during the inauguration of Apollo Go Park, a 2,000-square-meter facility located in downtown Dubai. Serving as the platform's first operations and management hub outside China, the site integrates intelligent road infrastructure, maintenance, and charging facilities, and is planned to support an expanded fleet of more than 1,000 fully driverless vehicles in partnership with the RTA.

The trial follows a strategic cooperation agreement signed between Apollo Go and the RTA in March 2025. The company received an initial testing license and conducted trials of a 50-vehicle RT6 fleet on public roads starting in August 2025. Globally, Apollo Go reported logging over 240 million autonomous kilometers, including 140 million kilometers in driverless mode, across 22 cities as of late 2025.

The rollout aligns with broader UAE plans announced at the AI Everything 2026 summit in Abu Dhabi to deploy thousands of autonomous taxis and delivery vehicles nationwide by 2027. Officials stated that the UAE is partnering with Chinese autonomous vehicle technology providers, including Baidu Apollo Go, Momenta, and WeRide, to become the largest commercial deployer of robotaxis outside China.