Uber And WeRide Partner For Robotaxi Service In Abu Dhabi

Zinger Key Points
  • Uber and WeRide launch robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi.
  • UAE national transport company Tawasul Transport will act as the fleet operator.

On Friday, U.S. ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies, Inc. UBER and Chinese Robotaxi company WeRide Inc. WRD announced the launch of their ride-hailing partnership in Abu Dhabi.

The launch represents the first time autonomous vehicles (AVs) are available on the Uber platform outside the U.S. and the largest commercial robotaxi service outside the U.S. and China.

UAE national transport company Tawasul Transport will act as the fleet operator.

Also Read: Intel Interim Co-Chief Expects CEO To Have Foundry Background, Stands By Forecast

Now, Uber riders in Abu Dhabi requesting UberX or Uber Comfort can qualify for a WeRide AV ride.

The service will be available in key areas between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island and routes to and from Zayed International Airport. The plan is to expand the operating territory in the future.

At the initial launch, each AV will have a safety operator present to ensure a secure and reliable experience, targeting a fully driverless commercial service planned for later in 2025.

In July 2023, WeRide bagged UAE’s exclusive national license, which permits the testing and operation of its autonomous vehicles on public roads throughout the country.

According to CIC forecasts, the global autonomous driving market has the potential to grow at an 80% compound annual growth rate from $93 billion in 2025 to $1.745 trillion by 2030. The market has a growth potential of 85% CAGR for China, reaching $639 billion by 2030.

in other recent robotaxi initiatives, on Thursday, Alphabet Inc’s GOOG GOOGL Waymo announced plans to launch its commercial robotaxi service in Miami in 2026.

Earlier this week, Baidu Inc BIDU won Hong Kong’s first autonomous vehicle test license under new 2024 legislation.

Reportedly, Tesla Inc TSLA is aggressively hiring software engineers to boost its teleoperation capabilities for robotaxis.

Price Actions: At the last check on Friday, UBER stock was up 1.18% to $65.96 in the premarket session, while WRD was up 5.89%.

Also Read:

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
Posted In:
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!