Robotaxis or self-driving taxis will be rolled out along Dubai's main arterial highway, Sheikh Zayed Road, by next year, a senior official from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) exclusively confirmed to Khaleej Times on Tuesday on the sidelines of the five-day Gitex Global 2025 at Dubai.

The move is a crucial step towards achieving Dubai's goal of having 25 per cent of transportation smart and driverless by 2030.

There are currently three Chinese companies - Baidu's Apollo Go, WeRide, and Pony - that are conducting autonomous driving trials on designated roads by the RTA.

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Khaled Al Awadhi, director of transportation systems at RTA's public transport agency, told Khaleej Times“once any of these companies complete and pass the trials in controlled open areas (designated as Zones 0 and 1), they can proceed to Zone 2.”

Self-driving taxis in Dubai, however, are still running in trial phase. This means, passengers are not yet allowed to use them, and there are still human drivers behind the steering wheel to take control of the car in case of an emergency while conducting the test runs.

Last month, Khaleej Times was on board one of Apollo Go's self-driving taxis. The trial run started from the parking lot of Jumeirah Mosque and covered a four-kilometre stretch of Jumeirah Road before heading back to where we started. It was midday and road traffic was light to moderate. The Apollo Go taxi was able to reach a top speed of 72km per hour, and it ably changed lanes.

When it is rolled out to the public, passengers will not only book a ride, but they can also get a“free massage” as the rear seats also serve as massage chairs. This is the first time Apollo Go is operating outside of China, where it has been operating 100 per cent fully driverless operations in more than 10 cities.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA's Public Transport Agency, earlier told Khaleej Times of the creation of Dubai Autonomous Zone (DAZ), a dedicated area where multiple autonomous vehicles, including self-driving taxis, shuttle buses, and autonomous marine transport, will be connected with the Dubai Metro. Even the vehicles used for sweeping the road will be driverless.

Al Awadhi further explained on Tuesday that DAZ is divided into four zones, based on population density, volume of vehicles, and traffic condition.

Zone 1 covers Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim and Al Wasl areas; Zone 2 includes Downtown Dubai, Business Bay; Zone 3 are Nad al Hammar, Nad al Shebah, and nearby areas, while Zone 4 includes the densely populated residential and commercial districts in Deira, Old Souq area, and nearby communities, as well as Sheikh Zayed Road.

There is also Zone 0, which is actually Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), that serves as a Dubai Mobility Lab.“It is here where companies will first test their self-driving cars in restricted, controlled, and open areas, before they can be rolled out,” noted Al Awadhi, adding:“We have to first strictly validate the technology and they must pass certain KPIs (key performance indicators) before they can proceed to Zone 1. Then, there will be another set of tests before they can proceed to other zones.

“Once the technology is mature enough, then we'll move outside these areas,” he added.

Al Awadhi also said RTA is open to welcoming more players in the self-driving taxi sector.“However, we are not going to flood the market (without proper regulation),” he added.

Al Awadhi also clarified that autonomous vehicles are only restricted to robotaxis and self-driving limos in Dubai at the moment. Personal self-driving robocars will require federal law and regulation as they cover other emirates, unlike robotaxis that operate only within Dubai.

Operating self-driving taxis across different emirates will likewise require federal approval. The good news is: Both WeRide and Apollo Go are already running their respective units in Abu Dhabi. This means, UAE residents and tourists can soon enjoy taking, for example, a driverless taxi ride between Yas Island and Jumeira, and beyond.

Meanwhile, in a statement sent to Khaleej Times, Liang Zhang, Apollo Go managing director for EMEA, said:“We welcome the news that even more of Dubai's roadways will be open to autonomous vehicles. We are confident in our technology's ability to navigate complex, high-speed environments safely and efficiently.

“As the first company to be granted an autonomous driving trial permit in Dubai, our 50-vehicle fleet has been conducting open-road testing in the city since August and has made substantial progress. We remain on track to meet the target and look forward to offering riders journeys when the time comes,” he added.

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