The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Baidu ApolloGo, one of the world’s leading providers of autonomous mobility solutions, to operate autonomous taxis on a large scale in the emirate.
The company will conduct a trial run of 50 autonomous vehicles in the coming months, in preparation for the official launch of the service to the public in 2026.
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, and Mr. Halton Niu, General Manager of Overseas Business at Baidu Smart Driving Group, witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the RTA and Baidu.
The MoU was signed by Mr. Ahmed Hashim Bahroozian, CEO of Public Transport Agency, on behalf of the RTA, and Mr. Liang Zhang, General Manager of Overseas Business in the Middle East and North Africa, on behalf of Baidu. A number of officials from both sides were also present.
Under the MoU, Baidu Apollo Go will operate the sixth-generation Robo Taxi RT6, specifically designed for autonomous mobility services and equipped with more than 40 sensors to ensure the highest levels of automation and safety.
This model has achieved great success and acclaim from users in China. The data collection and testing phase will begin with 50 vehicles in the coming months, gradually increasing to 1,000 autonomous taxis over the next three years, subject to service efficiency and quality standards.
This step marks Apollo Go’s first international expansion in the field of testing and operating autonomous vehicles outside of China and Hong Kong.
The company has now logged more than 150 million safe driving kilometers, enabling it to implement large-scale autonomous taxi services in several Chinese cities, as well as launching 100 percent driverless operations. ApolloGo has completed more than 10 million autonomous rides, making it the world’s largest autonomous vehicle fleet operator.
Global partnership
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer expressed his pleasure at signing the MoU with Baidu Apollo Go, a leading global provider of large-scale autonomous mobility solutions. Baidu launched the first self-driving taxi service in China and is leading significant efforts to integrate artificial intelligence, big data, and automation technologies to build smart cities of the future.
Matar Mohammed Al Tayer Director-General, Chairman – RTA
“The MoU comes within the framework of the directives of the wise leadership to strengthen partnerships with leading international institutions and companies, to consolidate the emirate’s position at the forefront of implementing advanced and sustainable transport solutions, applying highly advanced technologies, and embracing experiments for implementing innovative mobility solutions.”
He stressed that the MoU is a significant step towards achieving the Dubai Smart Autonomous Mobility Strategy, which aims to transform 25 percent of total mobility journeys in Dubai into autonomous journeys through various modes of transport by 2030. It complements the ongoing efforts made by the Authority to conduct operational trials on autonomous vehicles and units, which began in 2016.
Halton Niu, General Manager of Overseas Business at Baidu Smart Driving Group, emphasized that the cooperation with the Roads and Transport Authority supports the Emirate of Dubai’s efforts to adopt innovative technology and contributes to the UAE’s vision of strengthening its global leadership in the field of autonomous transportation.
“ApolloGo seeks to provide safe, sustainable, and efficient smart mobility services across cities around the world. Through close collaboration with local partners, we aim to develop transformative transportation solutions that empower communities and contribute to driving progress,” Niu commented.
“Our partnership with the RTA represents the most significant international expansion of ApolloGo outside of China to date, and this collaboration reflects Dubai’s unwavering commitment to becoming a global leader in innovation in next-generation mobility solutions,” said Liang Zhang, General Manager of Overseas Business for the Middle East and North Africa (ApolloGo).
