Dubai RTA reveals Phase 1 rollout of driverless RoboTaxis across 65 locations

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has earmarked 65 locations across two operational zones for the initial rollout of driverless RoboTaxi services in the emirate.
According to an RTA video presentation, Phase One of the project will cover 17 locations in Zone One and 48 in Zone Two, representing the most extensive mapping of public-road areas approved so far for autonomous taxi operations in Dubai.

AV Control Centre opens

The designated zones form part of the operational framework for Baidu Apollo Go’s autonomous vehicle programme, following the opening of the company’s Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Centre at Dubai Science Park on Thursday – its first such facility outside China.

The new centre will oversee end-to-end operations for the RoboTaxi fleet, including maintenance, charging, software updates and safety monitoring. It will also support real-time operational management across the approved zones as autonomous vehicles are deployed on public roads.

1,000 vehicles in coming years

RTA has granted Baidu Apollo Go Dubai’s first permit to conduct fully autonomous vehicle trials without a safety driver behind the wheel. It marks a pivotal milestone in Apollo Go’s efforts to launch a fully integrated commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in the emirate in the first quarter of 2026.

The 65 locations identified will serve as the foundation for Apollo Go’s wider expansion plans in Dubai, where the company aims to grow its autonomous fleet to more than 1,000 vehicles in the coming years.

Permit for fully driverless trials

The initiative builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed between RTA and Baidu in March 2025 to enable large-scale autonomous taxi operations across the emirate. In July 2025, Baidu received Dubai’s first autonomous driving trial permit, followed by the launch of trials involving 50 RT6 autonomous vehicles on designated roads in August.
The pilot tests were held on closed and open roads in areas like Dubai Silicon Oasis and Jumeirah.

Commercial operations of the driverless taxi service are targeted for the first quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and successful completion of ongoing trials.