Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service Apollo Go and AutoGo have officially launched a fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in Abu Dhabi, marking a new phase in the commercialization of driverless mobility in the Middle East. The service, which is open to the public via the AutoGo app, has launched initially on Yas Island, where users can now hail rides in vehicles operating with no human driver behind the wheel.
The launch positions Abu Dhabi among a small group of global cities offering fully driverless robotaxi services under a commercial framework, rather than as part of a limited pilot or trial. It also reflects growing regulatory confidence in autonomous vehicle technology as regional governments explore new mobility models to support urban growth and smart city development.
The service follows the partners’ receipt of a fully driverless commercial permit in mid-November 2025, clearing the way for public operations. Yas Island, a major leisure and entertainment hub in the emirate, has been designated as a permitted zone for fully autonomous vehicles, allowing the partners to begin commercial deployment in a controlled but high-profile urban environment.
Apollo Go and AutoGo first announced their partnership in March 2025, with the stated goal of building Abu Dhabi’s largest fully driverless fleet. The public launch comes just months after that initial agreement, underscoring the pace at which the partners have moved from collaboration to live operations.
Following the Yas Island rollout, the service is set to expand in phases across Abu Dhabi, beginning with Reem Island, Al Maryah Island, and Saadiyat Island. Over time, the partners plan to extend coverage to additional areas, with the long-term objective of operating across the wider emirate.
The companies have said they aim to deploy hundreds of autonomous vehicles by 2026, building what they describe as the emirate’s largest fully driverless fleet. The focus, they said, is on scaling a commercially viable service rather than limiting operations to small test fleets.
Apollo Go’s expansion into the UAE builds on its experience operating large-scale robotaxi services across multiple cities globally. The company has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometers, including over 140 million kilometers in fully driverless mode, and has completed more than 17 million cumulative rides as it pushes toward broader commercialization.
Elsewhere in the UAE, Apollo Go has secured regulatory approval to advance autonomous driving operations. In Dubai, the company has received the emirate’s first permit to conduct fully driverless vehicle trials on designated public roads without a safety driver, as it works toward launching a commercial ride-hailing service there as early as the first quarter of 2026. The parallel developments point to a broader UAE approach that pairs large-scale testing with early commercial deployment across different emirates.
The company has also accumulated experience working with regulators outside mainland China, including in dense urban environments such as Hong Kong, where authorities have taken a cautious, phased approach to approving autonomous driving technologies. That regulatory engagement has mainly focused on demonstrating operational readiness and safety at scale.
More broadly, Apollo Go has identified overseas markets as a strategic priority as global robotaxi competition intensifies, with regions such as Europe and the Middle East emerging as key arenas for international expansion, alongside players including Waymo.
As for Abu Dhabi, the launch fits within broader smart city plans to introduce advanced mobility services into everyday use. With a fully autonomous, commercially available ride-hailing service now operating on public roads, Apollo Go and AutoGo are on track to shift driverless transport from concept to deployment.