Dubai is poised to inaugurate its groundbreaking autonomous taxi service in March 2026, marking a significant milestone in urban transportation innovation. The initiative, personally endorsed by Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, will deploy an initial fleet of 100 fully driverless vehicles operated through strategic partnerships between Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and three technology leaders: pony.ai, Uber, and Baidu’s Apollo Go.
The Crown Prince demonstrated his confidence in the technology by personally utilizing a Baidu Apollo Go self-driving vehicle for transportation to the World Governments Summit 2026 at Madinet Jumeirah. Documenting the experience on social media with the caption ‘Hands off. Future On. #SelfDrivingCar,’ Sheikh Hamdan emphasized Dubai’s commitment to transforming urban mobility. ‘This is only the beginning of our journey to the future. The best is yet to come for Dubai,’ he stated, adding that the future of mobility in the emirate would be ‘smarter, safer, more efficient, and more inclusive.’
This deployment represents a particularly notable expansion for Baidu’s Apollo Go, marking its first operational venture outside China. The company has announced ambitious plans to scale its Dubai fleet to over 1,000 vehicles in the coming years, signaling long-term commitment to the Middle Eastern market. The initiative reflects Dubai’s comprehensive strategy to position itself as a global leader in smart transportation solutions, incorporating rigorous safety protocols while pioneering next-generation mobility infrastructure that aims to enhance quality of life through sustainable transport innovation.