Riders can now book Apollo Go in Dubai as part of an international commercial partnership between Uber Technologies and Baidu. The deployment makes Dubai the first operational market where fully autonomous vehicles from Baidu join the ride-hailing platform, with local fleet management handled by New Horizon Luxury Transport.
Under the new service, passengers booking through the standard app can access autonomous rides directly. Furthermore, the initiative represents an initial phase in a multi-year strategy to integrate thousands of driverless vehicles into urban transportation networks worldwide.
Booking Apollo Go in Dubai
Starting immediately, passengers requesting an UberX or Uber Comfort ride in Dubai may be matched with a fully driverless vehicle. To guarantee or increase the likelihood of receiving an autonomous trip, users can select the dedicated Autonomous category within their mobile apps.
The initial rollout of Apollo Go in Dubai covers select locations across Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah. Meanwhile, both companies have confirmed plans to expand operating boundaries across additional districts in subsequent phases of the deployment.
Specifications of the RT6 Electric Fleet
The service operates using the sixth-generation Apollo Go RT6, an electric vehicle designed specifically for fully driverless ride-hailing operations. Each vehicle seats up to three passengers and features advanced automotive hardware configured for commercial urban transport.
To navigate complex city environments safely, each RT6 is equipped with more than 30 onboard sensors for environmental perception. These sensors feed data directly into real-time onboard processing computers, allowing the platform to react instantaneously to surrounding traffic conditions.
“Launching in Dubai marks the first time our multi-partner vision comes to life on public roads, demonstrating how combining advanced autonomous technology with our global marketplace can accelerate an electric, shared, and autonomous future.”
Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous at Uber
Operational Safety and Track Record
Safety remains a key operational requirement for autonomous passenger services. All self-driving vehicles must comply with strict corporate safety guidelines before accepting trips on public roads.
Baidu brings substantial deployment history to the partnership, with operations spanning 28 cities internationally. Its autonomous fleets have logged over 350 million autonomous kilometers, including more than 240 million fully driverless kilometers without human safety operators inside.
“Dubai is also the first city where we’ve successfully established a dual-model offering both self-operated and partner-based autonomous ride-hailing services internationally.”
Nan Yang, Vice President of Baidu and General Manager of Overseas Business Unit, Intelligent Driving Group
Global Autonomous Mobility Strategy
Uber continues to expand its hybrid network by integrating artificial intelligence and autonomous systems alongside human drivers. The company currently collaborates with more than 30 autonomous vehicle partners, facilitating millions of autonomous passenger trips each year.
Following the debut of Apollo Go in Dubai, the companies aim to scale operations across international territories over the coming years. This collaborative approach combines autonomous hardware manufacturing with established digital dispatch platforms.
