Baidu’s autonomous mobility platform Apollo Go has achieved a major milestone in the Middle East, receiving Dubai’s first permit for fully driverless vehicle trials from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The approval allows autonomous vehicles to operate on designated public roads without a human safety driver, marking a significant step toward commercial self-driving services in the emirate.
Following the permit, Apollo Go is targeting the launch of commercial autonomous ride-hailing services in Dubai as early as Q1 2026. To support its regional expansion, the company has also inaugurated a 2,000-square-metre operations centre in Dubai, its first such facility outside China.
The permit was officially issued during the opening of Apollo Go Park in downtown Dubai. The facility is designed as a central hub for autonomous vehicle operations, housing charging infrastructure, maintenance facilities and a command-and-control centre. In partnership with the RTA, Apollo Go plans to significantly scale operations, with the long-term goal of expanding the fleet to over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles.
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Globally, Apollo Go has built one of the largest autonomous driving datasets in the industry. The platform has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometres, with over 140 million kilometres driven in fully driverless mode. It currently operates across 22 cities and has completed over 17 million rides as of October 2025, with weekly ride volumes exceeding 250,000 trips.
Apollo Go has been conducting on-road trials in Dubai since August 2025, operating a 50-vehicle fleet on designated routes. The new permit now clears the way for the next phase of autonomous mobility in the city.
