Dubai has signed a landmark agreement with Chinese tech giant Baidu to introduce a large fleet of autonomous taxis, marking Baidu’s most significant international move in driverless mobility to date.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing arm, to launch 50 self-driving vehicles during an initial testing phase, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The wider deployment is planned for 2026, eventually scaling up to 1,000 vehicles.
The agreement was signed in the presence of His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at the RTA, and Halton Niu, General Manager of Overseas Business at Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group (IDG). It was formally signed by Ahmed Hashim Bahrozyan, CEO of the Public Transport Agency, and Liang Zhang, General Manager of Overseas Business for the MENA region at Baidu IDG.
Baidu will deploy its RT6 autonomous taxi model—equipped with 40 sensors to ensure high levels of safety and automation. These vehicles have already proven effective in China, where Apollo Go has completed over 10 million autonomous rides across 150 million kilometres, making it the world’s largest autonomous fleet operator.
“This MoU aligns with the directives of our leadership to strengthen partnerships with global entities and leading companies, positioning the emirate at the forefront of implementing advanced and sustainable transport solutions,” said Al Tayer. “The MoU marks a pivotal step towards the realisation of Dubai’s Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy.”
Halton Niu emphasised the broader significance: “The collaboration with RTA not only demonstrates Dubai's proactive embrace of innovative technology, but also contributes to the UAE's goal of becoming a global leader in autonomous driving.”
Liang Zhang added: “Our partnership with RTA marks Apollo Go’s most significant international expansion beyond China to date.”
Bahrozyan noted the social benefits: “Self-driving transport will improve the quality of life for all segments of society… The future of transportation lies in autonomous driving technologies.”
Dubai’s Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy aims to make 25% of all city journeys autonomous by 2030.
By Aghakazim Guliyev
Source: caliber.az
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