WeRide Partners With Uber, Dubai's Road And Transport Authority For Autonomous Vehicle Pilot

WeRide Inc. WRD, in an exchange filing on Monday, announced a significant move to advance autonomous transportation in the Middle East by partnering with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Uber Technologies Inc. UBER.

The three parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch pilot operations of self-driving vehicles later this year through the Uber app in Dubai.

The pilot program will begin with autonomous vehicles that include onboard safety drivers.

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This initial phase is intended to lead to a full-scale commercial deployment of driverless services by 2026.

The MoU was signed during a formal event attended by top officials, including Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the board of executive directors at RTA, Uber’s Chief Business Officer Madhu Kannan, and Ryan Zhan, WeRide’s regional general manager in the Middle East and Africa.

WeRide and Uber are currently working on field preparations under RTA’s guidance.

WeRide’s Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Li said the Middle East remains a strategic priority.

She explained that this agreement follows the company’s recent deal with Uber to deploy robotaxis in 15 additional cities over the next five years. “We are fully aligned with the Dubai Government’s ambitious vision to make 25% of all transportation trips autonomous by 2030,” she said.

The collaboration builds on an earlier launch in Abu Dhabi, where WeRide and Uber rolled out autonomous ride-hailing services in December 2024, marking the first time such services were offered outside the U.S. via the Uber platform.

WeRide holds testing permits in five countries: the UAE, China, France, Singapore, and the U.S., making it one of the few companies globally with such credentials.

As Dubai advances its Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy, WeRide and Uber aim to play a pivotal role in shaping the city’s future mobility infrastructure.

Price Action: WRD shares are trading lower by 3.62% to $7.865 at last check Tuesday.

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