Baidu and AutoGo Launch Driverless Ride-Hailing Service in Abu Dhabi

• The AutoGo app now offers fully autonomous rides to the public on Yas Island, with no human driver on board.
• A phased rollout is planned across Abu Dhabi, backed by Apollo Go’s 17 million rides and global driverless fleet.

Apollo Go and AutoGo have launched a fully driverless ride-hailing service in Abu Dhabi. The service is open to the public on Yas Island, where users can book rides through the AutoGo app in vehicles with no human driver. The launch follows their commercial permit approval in mid-November 2025.

"Moving from an initial partnership agreement to launching live, fully driverless operations for the public in a span of just a few months is a remarkable milestone," said Liang Zhang, Managing Director of EMEA at Baidu Apollo, in an official press release. "This speed of execution highlights the technical readiness of Apollo Go, the strong operational capabilities of our partnership, and the steadfast support of local regulatory bodies."

Yas Island is the first deployment zone, with additional coverage coming to Reem Island, Al Maryah Island, and Saadiyat Island as part of a phased rollout. According to the companies, they have signed a next-phase agreement to scale the fleet to hundreds of vehicles by 2026. The launch advances their goal of building Abu Dhabi’s largest fully driverless fleet.

Baidu says Apollo Go has logged over 240 million autonomous kilometers worldwide, including more than 140 million fully driverless. As of October 31, 2025, the service had completed more than 17 million rides. It now operates in 22 cities and handles over 250,000 rides per week.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

This is one of the first fully driverless ride-hailing services approved for commercial use in Abu Dhabi and open to the public. That makes it a key milestone for autonomous deployment in the region.

Source: Baidu / PR Newswire