Abu Dhabi's getting another self-driving ride-hailing service, with Autogo

Dubai: After Uber, there is another ride-hailing service provider getting set to launch self-driving vehicle options in Abu Dhabi. 

Autogo has started trials for its robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi, and with full operations likely to start next year.

The trials are done in ‘close coordination’ with the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) of Abu Dhabi, thus ‘ensuring that the service aligns with local transport strategies, regulatory standards, and infrastructure planning as part of the emirate’s smart mobility goals’.

Autogo has a partnership with Baidu’s Apollo Go, which is a global player in large-scale autonomous ride-hailing.

Recently, Uber started giving customers in Abu Dhabi its autonomous driving options, through an arrangement with WeRide.

Apollo Go - which is also known as ‘Luobo Kuaipao’ - is the Chinese tech giant Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service platform.

Apollo Go fleets have accumulated ‘more than 150 million autonomous kilometers’ and with an ‘outstanding’ safety record.

The accumulated autonomous riding orders have surpassed 10 million by March,2025.

The sixth-generation robotaxi, RT6, is designed y for fully autonomous ride-hailing service, which, the company says, is safer, smarter, and more comfortable.

“As China’s first fully driverless ride-hailing service provider, Apollo Go is pioneering the integration of AI, big data, and automation to build the smart cities of the future,” the statement added.

“This isn’t just a pilot program — it’s the beginning of a large-scale shift in how cities move,” said Sean Teo, Managing Director of Kintsugi Holding. (UAE-based Autogo is a subsidiary brand of Kintsugi Holding.) “Robo-taxis combine two critical outcomes — safer roads and more sustainable transport — and we’re proud to help bring that to life in the UAE.”

Abu Dhabi currently has a fairly sizable ecosystem that is creating an environment for self-driving ventures. This includes government-backed entities that can transition conventional vehicles into autonomous driving ones, including fast cars. There are also massive projects that have also created dedicated zones to allow self-driving operations to proceed at pace.