Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide have launched robotaxi operations without a human safety operator in Dubai as part of a broader expansion in the Middle East.

Riders can now book the vehicles through Uber’s app, with operations in commercial and industrial districts like Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Investment Park Second, and Jabal Ali Industrial First, as well as suburban areas and the maritime trading hub Al Hamriya Port. The service is operated locally by Tawasul, a mobility and fleet operator in the United Arab Emirates.

The companies first introduced robotaxis to Dubai in December under a pilot program, but didn’t charge for rides and still had a human safety operator on board. The government’s Roads and Transport Authority issued a driverless vehicle trial permit to the companies last month.

The deployment signals an escalation in WeRide’s robotaxi operations in the region. It also coincides with Uber’s increased stake in the company. Uber now holds a 5.82% stake in WeRide, according to documents filed Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The equity stake is valued at around $400 million based on WeRide’s closing stock price on Monday.

“Bringing fully driverless vehicles to Dubai is an important milestone in making autonomous mobility a global reality. This launch underscores our deep commitment to the UAE and our vision for a hybrid world — where drivers and AVs operate side-by-side to create a more resilient network. Especially during challenging times in the region, we are proud to be a partner to this city, ensuring that Uber is always there to help people move seamlessly and with confidence,” Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, said in a statement.

Uber invested $100 million into WeRide in May 2025 as part of a commercial robotaxi partnership to bring service to another 15 cities over the next five years. The companies have previously shared that the expansion will include cities in Europe.

Under the partnership, WeRide’s robotaxi services are available through the Uber app. The relationship is similar to Uber’s deal with Waymo, in which the ride-hailing company handles the network routing and fleet operations, while the autonomous vehicle company remains responsible for the AV tech.

Topics

robotaxi, Transportation, Uber, weride

Kirsten Korosec

Transportation Editor

Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in-car tech for more than a decade. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive.

You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at kkorosec.07 on Signal.

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Uber increases stake in WeRide as robotaxi partnership ramps up in Dubai