WeRide launches driverless taxis with Uber in Dubai and Singapore

Singapore’s first public autonomous service

China’s autonomous vehicle specialist WeRide launched, on 31 March 2026, a commercial driverless taxi service in Dubai in partnership with Uber. Available in neighbourhoods including Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, the service can be booked directly in the Uber app via the Autonomous option, which dispatches a vehicle with no human driver on board. Meanwhile in Singapore, WeRide and Grab have officially launched Ai.R — short for Autonomously Intelligent Ride — billed as the country’s first public autonomous service. Deployed in Punggol, the roll-out follows more than 30,000 kilometres of trials involving over 1,000 test users.

Phased, supervised roll-outs

In Dubai, the experience mirrors a standard trip: pick-up and drop-off work as usual, with the difference that the vehicle operates without a safety operator on board. In Singapore, Ai.R runs on fixed routes linking residential areas with key transport nodes across Punggol. During this initial phase, safety operators remain in the vehicles, with a shift to remote monitoring planned. The gradual approach is designed to safeguard operations and familiarise riders with the specifics of an autonomous service.

WeRide plans to deploy at least 1,200 vehicles across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, adding to a fleet that already exceeds 200 robotaxis in the Gulf. Scaling up is expected to improve availability, cover more journeys and validate operational robustness in varied urban settings. Uber, for its part, frames autonomous vehicles as a value creation opportunity worth several trillion dollars, signalling high expectations for growth and productivity. In Singapore, the fixed-line set-up addresses first‑ and last‑mile needs to major hubs while meeting tight regulatory requirements.

“The arrival of fully autonomous vehicles in Dubai represents a significant step towards autonomous mobility at global scale,” said Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous mobility and delivery at Uber. “This launch underscores our deep commitment to the United Arab Emirates and our vision of a hybrid world, where drivers and autonomous vehicles coexist to create a more resilient network. Particularly in this difficult period for the region, we are proud to be partners to this city and to ensure Uber is always there to keep people moving with peace of mind.”

A leading Chinese player in self-driving technology, WeRide is multiplying partnerships to accelerate its international presence. In Dubai, the company draws on Uber’s user base and app infrastructure; in South‑East Asia, it works with Grab, the region’s dominant mobility and services platform. Beyond the Gulf and Singapore, WeRide says it holds autonomous driving permits in France, Switzerland, Belgium and the United States, signalling that regulatory groundwork has already been laid across several markets.