Dubai: Now, Get 50 Free Driverless Taxi Rides For Up To Dh500 How To Book

Dubai residents can now enjoy a ride on a driverless taxi in select locations in the city after booking an 'Autonomous' ride via the Uber app. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Thursday that the Robotaxi WeRide has been made available on the Uber app.

Self-driving taxis, however, are only limited in two areas in Dubai - Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah - and is only available from 9am to 4pm, according to the Uber app. There will be a (human) 'safety driver' inside the vehicle during the pilot stage, prior to full driverless operation early next year.

The best part? The first 50 rides are absolutely free, as long as the trip is worth under Dh500, according to Uber's promotional offer running till end of January 2026. The catch, however, is that the rides are available only within the two specified areas. So, a ride from the Jumeirah Mosque to Kite Beach, which would typically cost about Dh45 or more at about 1pm on UberX, can now be availed for free using the 'Autonomous' option.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

Khaleej Times booked an autonomous ride on Uber from Bâoli Dubai restaurant to Kite Beach. The 9-km ride would normally cost between Dh39 and Dh49 when booked at around 12noon on UberX, but with the autonomous option, it was completely free.

To book a driverless ride, you have to be at, or close to, one of the pick-up points specified in the app where these taxis are available.

How to check driverless taxi locations?

Open your Uber app and click on 'Where to?' at the top. The app automatically detects your current location and asks you for your destination. Once you have fed in you drop location, the 'Choose a ride' page throws up the various services that are available.

The 'Autonomous' ride option does not show if you are at a location where the service is not available. Instead, scroll down and you will find the 'Autonomous available at select locations' prompt at the bottom of your screen.

Click on the arrow and it will take you to another page which provides more information on the autonomous ride option. It also has a map pin-pointing the various locations across Jumeireh and Umm Suqeim where the pick-up and drop-off locations are available.

Zooming in on the map will show you the exact locations from where you can hail a ride. There are a total of 20 pick-up and drop locations including Lamer Beach, Jumeirah Mosque, Jumeirah Public Beach, Four Seasons Resort and Kite Beach.

How to book an autonomous ride

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how you an hail a 'free' driverless ride using the Uber app.

Step 1:

On opening the Uber app, you see a prompt at the bottom of the screen that says '100 per cent off Autonomous; expires on Jan 29, 2026'.

Step 2:

Clicking on that will lead to a pop up that says '100% off on your next 50 rides. Up to Dh500 per ride', with a 'Book Now' call to action at the bottom. The expiration date for this offer is January 29, 2026. The offer is valid only on 'Autonomous' rides in Dubai.

Step 3:

Clicking on book now will take you to the 'Plan your ride' page where you have to select your pick up location and destination. Ensure you are in a spot where driverless taxis are available, and the drop location has to be within the same range.

For example, if you feed in Jumeirah Mosque as the pickup location and Kite Beach as your destination, you will see 'Autonomous' as one of the ride options on the Uber app.

Step 4:

Click on 'Choose Autonomous', and you will be asked to confirm your pick-up location and request your ride in the next screen.

Step 5:

Congratulations, your self-driving taxi is booked! However, wait times may range from 5 mins to over 20 minutes depending on demand and vehicle availability. A specialist will accompany your driverless ride.

The WeRide vehicles are spacious inside for their generous vehicle length and cabin height. The vehicle has second and third-row seating with legroom providing comfort and convenience for up to five passengers.

WeRide claim they currently operate about 150 autonomous vehicles in the Middle East. Jennifer Li, chief financial officer and head of international at WeRide, said, "Our progress in Dubai is enabled by our autonomous driving technology that has been tested and validated worldwide. We are expanding rapidly across the Middle East and globally, driven by our vision to deploy tens of thousands of Robotaxis by 2030."

The RTA earlier said the launch of the pilot self-driving taxi supports Dubai's Self-Driving Transport Strategy to convert 25 per cent of journeys to autonomous modes by 2030. There are three companies - Pony, WeRide, and Apollo Go (Baidu) - that are collaborating with RTA to test their self-driving taxis in Dubai.

Back in September this year, Khaleej Times tried one of the Apollo Go self-driving taxis that has been undergoing trial runs in Jumeirah and Umm Umm Suqeim. The ride came with a back massage. The Chinese tech giant Baidu that operates Apollo Go has made sure that passengers will feel comfortable.

It was a pre-arranged route along Jumeirah Road. The trial started from the parking lot of Jumeirah Mosque and covered a four-kilometre stretch of Jumeirah Road before heading back to where it 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. There was a human driver behind the wheel for safety.

Apollo Go taxis have four seats but can only strictly accommodate up to three passengers - one in front and two at the back - the usual“driver's” seat is off limits to humans except during the trial phase, when Apollo go is still collecting data.

MENAFN12122025000049011007ID1110473634