A company is carrying out trials for a self-driving taxi service in Abu Dhabi, before its full launch in the emirate next year.
Autogo, a UAE-based autonomous mobility solutions firm, has started testing its RoboTaxi in the capital, state news agency Wam reported on Friday evening.
The trials are in co-ordination with Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre (ITC). With their advanced electric design and artificial intelligence-driven systems, the vehicles are said to ensure precise and consistent driving with real-time responsiveness to surrounding conditions.
"The launch of RoboTaxi trials in Abu Dhabi marks the beginning of a large-scale transformation in urban mobility," said Sean Teo, managing director of Kintsugi Holding, the parent company of Autogo.
"RoboTaxis serve two key goals — enhancing road safety and achieving more sustainable transportation."
The trials are taking place in collaboration with Apollo Go, an arm of Chinese tech giants Baidu, with a view to work together in order to "test performance in real-world environments, engage with the public, and prepare for a broader deployment of the technology across Abu Dhabi by 2026".
The National reported last month how Dubai Taxi Company was planning to launch an autonomous taxi service in the emirate by the first quarter of 2026 to support the emirate's mobility strategy.
The UAE aims to become a leader in smart mobility systems to boost sustainability and adopt the latest technologies. Dubai began supervised testing of driverless vehicles on its public roads in October 2023 after the US self-driving tech company Cruise, which is backed by General Motors and Honda Motor, was issued with a trial permit.
In Abu Dhabi, Uber and China's WeRide launched the Middle East's first commercial driverless mobility service in December. The UAE capital already has its own fleet of driverless taxis on Yas Island run by TXAI, the UAE's first driverless taxi service.