Uber, China’s WeRide form partnership for robotaxis in UAE

Uber Technologies and WeRide announced a partnership on Wednesday to bring the Chinese self-driving technology firm's vehicles to the rideshare platform, starting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

WeRide’s first collaboration with a global ride-hailing platform will help the company expand its reach beyond China, while Uber takes another step towards incorporating robotaxis into its platform.

Uber expanded its partnership with Alphabet’s Waymo to bring robotaxis to Austin and Atlanta in the US earlier this month.

In August, Uber tied up with General Motors’ robotaxi unit Cruise, which will offer its autonomous vehicles on the platform from next year.

The ride-hailing firm’s partnership with WeRide is set to launch in Abu Dhabi later this year.

WeRide was granted the UAE’s first and only national licence for self-driving vehicles, which allows the Chinese firm to test and operate robotaxis on public roads throughout the country.

WeRide was expected to list its shares in the US, valuing the firm at as much as $5bn, but its initial public offering has been delayed and the firm said it was completing documentation to go ahead with the listing.

The Biden administration on Monday proposed prohibitions that would prevent testing of self-driving cars on US roads by Chinese automakers and which would extend to vehicle software and hardware produced by other US adversaries, including Russia.

Reuters