Key figures (as of October 2026)
| Dubai targets for 2030 | 25% of all trips autonomous; more than 4,000 self-driving taxis and limousines |
| Dubai commercial launch | announced 30 March 2026 in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah; first phase of 100 autonomous taxis |
| Dubai robotaxi fleet | 144 vehicles, 48 in active operation (August 2026); more than 160 registered, 70 on the road (late October 2026) |
| Dubai service record, August 2026 | more than 4 million km, 7,613 passenger trips, 97% customer satisfaction |
| Abu Dhabi | fully driverless commercial service since November 2025; 31,075 autonomous vehicle trips in the first half of 2026; target of 25% of trips autonomous by 2040 |
| WeRide and Uber in the Middle East | plan for at least 1,200 robotaxis across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh, as soon as 2027 |
| Waymo, United States | about 4,000 vehicles, 500,000 paid rides a week, 15 cities |
| Apollo Go, worldwide | more than 23 million cumulative public rides (June 2026), 28 cities |
Dubai: from trials to paid driverless rides
Dubai aims for one in every four trips in the emirate to be autonomous by 2030, and the Roads and Transport Authority plans more than 4,000 self-driving vehicles in the taxi and limousine sectors by then.
The first commercial step came on 30 March 2026, when the authority announced the start of paid autonomous taxi service in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, two coastal districts near the public beaches. The first phase covered 100 autonomous taxis. WeRide's vehicles are booked through the Uber app, with Tawasul Transport managing the fleet. Apollo Go, the robotaxi arm of Baidu, runs its service through its own app with Dubai Taxi Company, and since August 2026 its fully driverless vehicles have also been available on Uber.
By August 2026 the service had a fleet of 144 vehicles, 48 of them in active operation and completing around 50 trips a day. The robotaxis had covered more than 4 million kilometres and carried 7,613 passenger trips, with 97% customer satisfaction. By late October 2026 more than 160 self-driving vehicles were registered in Dubai, with 70 on the road in Jumeirah, while highway trials were under way on Emirates Road near Al Maktoum International Airport. Vehicles are tested at Dubai Mobility Labs in 248 scenarios, including heat, humidity and fog, before approval for public roads.
The pipeline of new vehicles
The operators' plans point to a much larger fleet. Dubai Taxi Company and Apollo Go plan 50 vehicles in the first year and plan to grow to more than 1,000 driverless vehicles over the next few years, with bookings to extend to further ride-hailing apps. WeRide and Uber have committed to deploy at least 1,200 robotaxis across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh, as soon as 2027. Pony.ai, the authority's third partner, is preparing a public, fare-charging service in Dubai.
Abu Dhabi: the region's first driverless service
Abu Dhabi opened the region's first fully driverless commercial robotaxi service in November 2025, starting on Yas Island. The Integrated Transport Centre granted the first two operating permits, one to WeRide with Uber and Tawasul and one to AutoGo with Apollo Go. In February 2026 the WeRide and Uber service expanded to downtown Abu Dhabi, including Khalifa City, Masdar City, Rabdan and the route between the Corniche and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. A second local service, TXAI, is booked through its own app.
Autonomous vehicles made 31,075 trips in the emirate in the first half of 2026. The emirate's autonomous transport vision aims for 25% of all trips to be autonomous by 2040.
The global picture
The United States and China lead the world in scale. Waymo offers robotaxi rides in 15 US cities, up from three two years earlier, with about 4,000 vehicles and an average of 500,000 paid rides a week. Tesla runs its own robotaxi service in Austin. Apollo Go, which began in China, had provided more than 23 million rides to the public by June 2026 and operates in 28 cities worldwide, with more than 350 million autonomous kilometres driven. Europe is at an earlier stage, with trials in Switzerland and London. The UAE is among the few places outside the United States and China where fully driverless robotaxis already carry paying passengers.
What it means
The UAE has moved robotaxis from pilot projects into paid daily service in two emirates, with clear long-term targets and several global operators on the same streets. The question for the next two years is scale: how fast fleets grow from the hundreds to the thousands, and how quickly service spreads from a few districts to the whole city.
Scenarios: size of Dubai's robotaxi fleet at the end of 2027
These probabilities are the Centre's analytical estimates, reasoned from the plans and data above.* The variable is the total number of self-driving taxis and limousines in Dubai, as stated in the most recent official figure from the emirate's transport authority published between 1 July and 31 December 2027, including figures given by its officials in public statements. Figures from operators, or for other emirates or the wider region, do not count. The total fleet or registered figure counts; a count of vehicles "in active operation" is used only if no total is given. If the only total also includes buses, delivery vehicles or other non-taxi types, the taxi and limousine figure is used where it is stated; otherwise that total counts. A figure stated as "more than" or "about" a number counts as that number. The bands cover every possible value: exactly 400 falls in band 2, exactly 1,000 in band 3 and exactly 2,000 in band 4. If no official figure is published in that window, the forecast is withdrawn.
Gradual growth: fewer than 400 vehicles
The fleet grew from a first phase of 100 vehicles announced at launch in March 2026 to more than 160 registered by late October. If that pace simply continued, the total would stay below 400. The weight is substantial because expansion is phased, area by area, after testing.
Steady scale-up: 400 to 999 vehicles
Pony.ai's planned commercial service, the next phase of the Apollo Go fleet and Dubai's share of the WeRide and Uber commitment would together take the total into this range. It needs only part of the announced plans to arrive by the end of 2027, so it gets the highest weight.
Fast scale-up: 1,000 to 1,999 vehicles
On the Centre's own straight-line calculation from today's fleet to the 4,000 target for 2030, the fleet would pass 1,000 vehicles around September 2027. At its current pace of about 9 vehicles a month, on the Centre's own calculation, the fleet is growing steadily, and new fleets usually scale in steps as each service area opens rather than in a straight line. This band requires several operators to deliver most of their plans on time, so it gets a lower weight than band 2.
Rapid roll-out: 2,000 vehicles or more
Reaching 2,000 would mean half of the 2030 target three years early. The announced plans do not yet add up to that, so this band gets the lowest weight.
What to watch
- Fleet updates: the next official counts of self-driving vehicles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
- New service areas: expansion beyond Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, and the outcome of the Emirates Road highway trials.
- Pony.ai: the start of its public fare-charging service in Dubai.
- The 1,200-vehicle plan: progress on the WeRide and Uber deployment across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh.
- Global scale: Waymo's fleet growth and new launches in Europe and Asia.
Figures as of late October 2026. Probabilities are analytical estimates by the Ghaf Centre for Studies & Research.