Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and Mr. Yunpeng Wang, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and President of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group, inaugurated Baidu Apollo Go’s Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Centre at Dubai Science Park. The facility marks Baidu Apollo Go’s first centre outside China.

Spanning an area of 2,000 square metres, the centre is designed as a comprehensive hub for managing infrastructure resources, services, and internet-based applications, in addition to a simulation room, a training room, and an operations and maintenance centre.

RTA granted Baidu Apollo Go Dubai’s first permit of its kind, authorising the company to conduct trials of fully autonomous vehicles on designated public roads without a safety driver behind the wheel. 

Centre facilities and capabilities
During his tour, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer was briefed on the centre’s facilities and capabilities. The centre has been designed as a fully integrated hub for autonomous vehicles, integrating intelligent road infrastructure, charging and maintenance facilities, and related technologies. It aligns with Apollo Go’s plans to expand its autonomous vehicle fleet in Dubai to more than 1,000 vehicles in the coming years.

The centre is responsible for the daily operation of vehicles, routine maintenance, charging operations, software updates, vehicle management and inspection, as well as the maintenance of components and equipment dedicated to test vehicles. It also supports safety testing and ensures rapid and effective response to operational commands, while enabling safety drivers to perform their roles across areas including test readiness, safety awareness, training, device inventory management, and support for day-to-day office operations.

Operational steps
The opening of the Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Centre builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between RTA and the company in March 2025 to enable the large-scale operation of autonomous taxis across the emirate. In July 2025, the company obtained the emirate’s first autonomous driving trial permit to conduct operational trials of autonomous vehicles, followed in August by the launch of trials involving 50 RT6 autonomous vehicles on designated roads in Dubai.

Securing the first permit to conduct fully driverless trials without a safety driver behind the wheel marks a pivotal milestone in Apollo Go’s efforts to launch a fully integrated commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in the emirate in the first quarter of 2026.

Global confidence in Dubai
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer expressed his satisfaction with the opening of Baidu Apollo Go’s Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Centre, noting that the step represents a strategic milestone in Dubai’s journey towards consolidating its global leadership in smart mobility and the deployment of artificial intelligence in the transport sector.

He added, “The opening of Apollo Go’s first operations centre outside China reflects the strong confidence of leading global companies in Dubai’s advanced regulatory environment and the readiness of its smart infrastructure to accommodate and advance autonomous vehicle technologies in line with the highest standards of safety and efficiency. RTA’s issuance of Dubai’s first permit for fully driverless operational trials without a safety driver represents a qualitative milestone, translating our commitment to developing a flexible and secure legislative framework that keeps pace with rapid advancements in mobility technologies, supports innovation, and fosters partnerships with leading specialised global companies in this field.

“The collaboration with Baidu Apollo Go forms part of RTA’s vision to expand future mobility solutions and enhance the deployment of autonomous vehicles across taxi and ride-hailing services. This will contribute to improving quality of life, enhancing road safety, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing the efficiency of the emirate’s transport network.

“RTA continues to work closely with strategic partners to accelerate the adoption of smart mobility solutions and support the transformation of Dubai into a global laboratory for future transport technologies, in line with the directives of the wise leadership and the vision to build a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation and advanced technology.”

Expansion in the UAE
“We are honoured that Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has entrusted Apollo Go with Dubai’s first driverless vehicle trial permit,” said Yunpeng Wang, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and President of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group. “Together with the opening of our first overseas Apollo Go Park, this marks a significant milestone in Apollo Go’s expansion in the United Arab Emirates and underscores our long-term commitment to the region.

“Building on our proven global expertise, we look forward to working closely with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and local partners to deliver safe, efficient and sustainable autonomous ride-hailing services, accelerating the emirate’s transition towards intelligent transportation.”

“Receiving Dubai’s first driverless vehicle trial permit is a testament to the safety and maturity of our technology,” said Liang Zhang, Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Baidu Apollo. “By establishing our first overseas Apollo Go Park here in Dubai, we are creating a strong foundation to localise our operations and work closely with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to deliver safe, efficient and sustainable autonomous mobility solutions for the emirate’s residents.”

240 million autonomous kilometres
Apollo Go’s rapid expansion in the United Arab Emirates is underpinned by its industry-leading autonomous driving technology and proven real-world operational expertise. As one of the world’s leading providers of autonomous ride-hailing services, Apollo Go vehicles have logged more than 240 million km in autonomous operation, including over 140 million km completed in fully driverless mode without a human driver.

With a global presence spanning 22 cities, the platform’s weekly ride volume has exceeded 250,000 trips, while cumulative completed rides surpassed 17 million as of 31 October 2025.