Dubai driverless taxis now have a fare. Here’s how much a ride costs

Fare applies to Apollo Go driverless rides in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim

Last updated: July 15, 2026 | 17:11

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

2 MIN READ

RTA launches commercial operations involving autonomous taxis, with services offered to the public via the Uber and Apollo Go apps

RTA

Dubai: Dubai residents and visitors can now book an autonomous taxi ride in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah for Dh5, following an update from the Roads and Transport Authority on Wednesday.

Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.

The service, operated in partnership with Apollo Go, can be booked through the Apollo Go mobile application. Rides had initially been offered free to allow members of the public to experience the driverless vehicles.

Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.

“RTA offers the autonomous taxi service for public use in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, in partnership with Apollo Go, for a fare of Dh5,” the authority said in a social media post.

How to book a ride

Passengers must download the Apollo Go app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store before requesting a journey within the available service areas.

The autonomous taxi programme is being operated by Dubai Taxi Company in partnership with Baidu through its Apollo Go ride-hailing platform. The Dubai launch is also the first international deployment of the Apollo Go app.

Booking access is expected to be extended to Bolt and other electronic ride-hailing providers as the service expands.

Dubai Taxi Company plans to introduce 50 autonomous vehicles during the first year before gradually increasing the fleet to more than 1,000 vehicles over the coming years.

Also Read: Dubai launches free autonomous taxi service for public in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah

Also Read: Abu Dhabi explores MENA's first autonomous public bus trial

Also Read: Dubai rolls out driverless taxis in key residential areas in major mobility shift

Also Read: No workforce reduction at Dubai Taxi, says Group CEO

Fully driverless operations

The commercial launch followed several months of trials covering vehicle safety, reliability and operational performance.

Apollo Go received Dubai’s first permit for fully autonomous vehicle testing without a safety driver in January 2026. Baidu also opened Apollo Go Park in Dubai during the same month to support the operation and management of its local fleet.

Dubai Taxi Company operates more than 6,000 taxis and limousines and will use its monitoring systems and local operating network to manage the autonomous fleet.

The rollout supports the Dubai Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to convert 25% of all journeys in the emirate into smart and driverless trips by 2030.

Apollo Go had completed more than 20 million rides worldwide by February 2026. Its vehicles have covered over 300 million autonomous kilometres, including more than 190 million kilometres without a safety driver.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series. Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question. When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.