Chinese Robotaxis Steer Into Middle East Roads

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post)

Chinese autonomous driving companies are accelerating plans to deploy self-driving taxi fleets across the Middle East, betting on strong government backing, advanced urban infrastructure and public openness to new mobility technologies to turn pilot projects into commercial services.

Dubai has emerged as a key entry point. The Roads and Transport Authority issued its first autonomous driving trial permits in September, allowing Pony. ai, WeRide and Baidu's Apollo Go to begin on-road testing in urban conditions. The move aligns with Dubai's stated objective of shifting 25 per cent of all journeys to self-driving transport by 2030, a target that places autonomous vehicles at the centre of future mobility planning.

Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the RTA, has said autonomous taxis are expected to improve road safety, enhance daily mobility and strengthen links between public transport and first- and last-mile services, framing the technology as both a quality-of-life upgrade and a practical transport solution.

The trials follow years of testing by Chinese firms in dense and complex traffic environments at home, experience they argue is transferable to Middle Eastern cities that combine modern highways with high traffic volumes. Robotaxi services are designed to function much like conventional ride-hailing: users book through an app, track the vehicle's arrival, confirm details on entry and monitor the route in real time during the journey, with in-car digital services forming part of the passenger experience.

Industry observers say Chinese companies have gained an edge through rapid cost reductions and scale. The expansion of the electric vehicle supply chain has sharply lowered the price of core components such as lidars and computing hardware, enabling fleets to be deployed more economically. Pony. ai executives say the bill of materials for their autonomous driving kits has fallen by about 70 per cent, making overseas rollouts commercially viable rather than experimental.

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At a self-driving transport exhibition in Dubai, Pony. ai unveiled its seventh-generation autonomous vehicle platform, built around Level 4 autonomy and combining artificial intelligence with multiple sensors to handle varied road layouts and weather conditions. The company has logged more than 50 million kilometres of autonomous driving globally and operates robotaxi services in major Chinese cities, experience it describes as“China-validated and globally adaptable”.

Pony. ai plans to deploy up to 1,000 robotaxis across the Middle East over the next three years, viewing the region as a testing ground for large-scale operations. Executives argue that Middle Eastern governments are moving quickly to upgrade transport systems, creating demand for mature, ready-to-deploy technologies rather than long pilot phases.

WeRide has taken a similar approach, expanding from trials to driverless commercial services. Abu Dhabi has hosted self-driving taxi tests on Yas and Saadiyat islands, with a target of making a quarter of daily transport smart and driverless by 2040. The emirate has now approved WeRide's fully driverless robotaxi operations on Yas Island, using vehicles without onboard safety supervisors, a first for the region.

Ryan Zhan, WeRide's regional general manager for the Middle East and Africa, has linked the push to structural factors such as high labour costs, driver shortages and fast-growing tourism and logistics sectors. Autonomous driving, he argues, can ease labour constraints while supporting national strategies for smart cities and greener transport.

Saudi Arabia is also positioning itself as a major market. Under Vision 2030, the kingdom aims for 15 per cent of public transport vehicles to be autonomous by the end of the decade. WeRide entered the Saudi market in May, launching robotaxi testing and deployments in Riyadh and Al-Ula with support from the Transport General Authority. Autonomous passenger rides have been offered in parts of Riyadh, alongside trials of self-driving buses and sanitation vehicles at locations such as King Fahad Medical City.

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Elsewhere, Qatar has joined the trend. Pony. ai has partnered with Mowasalat“Karwa” to introduce self-driving technology on local roads, reflecting broader interest among Gulf transport operators in diversifying mobility options and reducing long-term operating costs.

Analysts say partnerships with global ride-hailing platforms are helping Chinese firms scale more quickly. Pony. ai, WeRide and Apollo Go have all integrated with Uber in the region, allowing robotaxis to be ordered through an app already used by millions of riders. The approach reduces friction for consumers and gives operators access to established payment, routing and customer service systems.

Market forecasts underscore the scale of ambition. Nvidia founder Jensen Huang has described robotaxis as one of the most significant growth areas over the next decade, while Goldman Sachs has projected the global robotaxi market could reach $40bn to $45.7bn by 2030, expanding at an annual rate of about 60 per cent.

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