Baidu has announced that Apollo Go, its autonomous ride‑hailing platform, has received Dubai’s first driverless vehicle trial permit from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The permit allows Apollo Go to operate fully autonomous vehicles on designated public roads without a human safety driver, supporting plans to launch a commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in Dubai as early as the first quarter of 2026.
The driverless vehicle trial permit was formally issued by the RTA during the opening of Apollo Go Park in Dubai; this is Apollo Go’s first facility of its kind outside China. Situated in downtown Dubai, the 2,000m2 Apollo Go Park is designed as a comprehensive center for autonomous vehicles, integrating intelligent road infrastructure, charging and maintenance facilities and related technologies. It is expected to evolve into a central command hub as Apollo Go and the RTA plan to expand the fleet to more than 1,000 fully driverless vehicles in Dubai.
“The opening of Apollo Go’s first operations center outside China reflects the strong confidence of leading global companies in Dubai’s advanced regulatory environment, and the readiness of its smart infrastructure to accommodate and advance autonomous vehicle technologies in line with the highest standards of safety and efficiency,” said His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the board of executive directors at RTA Dubai.
“As Dubai’s public transport network continues to grow, we see autonomous mobility as a powerful complement to our existing services,” added Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the RTA. “Through this trial permit and the deployment of Apollo Go’s autonomous vehicles on designated open roads, we will rigorously test safety, reliability and customer experience, ensuring that any future large-scale rollout fully meets Dubai’s standards and serves the needs of our residents and visitors.”
“We are honored that the RTA has entrusted Apollo Go with Dubai’s first driverless vehicle trial permit,” said Yunpeng Wang, corporate vice president of Baidu and president of the company’s intelligent driving group. “Together with the opening of our first overseas Apollo Go Park today, this marks a truly significant milestone in Apollo Go’s expansion in the UAE and our long-term commitment to the region. Building on our proven expertise worldwide, we look forward to working closely with the RTA and local partners to deliver safe, efficient and sustainable autonomous ride‑hailing services, accelerating the emirate’s transition toward intelligent transportation.”
The development follows a strategic cooperation agreement signed between Apollo Go and the RTA in March 2025 to support autonomous driving testing and services in Dubai. In July 2025, the RTA issued the emirate’s first autonomous driving trial permit to Apollo Go, along with 50 test licenses. Since August, Apollo Go has been conducting trials with a fleet of 50 RT6 autonomous vehicles on designated public roads in Dubai.
In related news, Lucid, Nuro and Uber present global robotaxi update during CES