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Uber Technologies has began giving its first driverless rides outside the United States in Abu Dhabi, building on an earlier agreement with Chinese vehicle partner WeRide.
Riders may now order autonomous vehicles at UberX or Uber Comfort pricing in major tourist locations of the UAE capital, according to a company statement. These locations include Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, and routes to and from Zayed International Airport, with intentions to increase the operational area in the future.
Safety workers will be present in the autonomous vehicles during the initial launch phase, and Uber plans to provide a fully driverless service in 2025.
Uber's recent incursion signals another step toward its goal of becoming the go-to app for summoning autonomous vehicles without needing to create its own self-driving technology. Since June, it has entered into at least seven such collaborations, including one with Alphabet's Waymo, and has invested in autonomous firms like as WeRide, according to Bloomberg.
Despite this, investors are concerned about the future of Uber and Lyft's business models, which now rely on a huge population of human drivers to swiftly connect clients. Waymo, which is an Uber partner in some US cities but also offers autonomous trips on its own consumer app in other big areas such as San Francisco, is becoming more competitive.
Uber shares slumped 9.6 percent on Thursday after Waymo revealed plans to launch its own app in Miami in 2026. Lyft stock fell ten percent. The ridesharing businesses may also face competition from Elon Musk's proposed robotaxi network, which has yet to be implemented.
In Abu Dhabi, Uber stated that the Integrated Transport Centre of the local government is supporting the service. Tawasul Transport, a national transportation firm, will handle WeRide's fleet of cars. The corporation did not reveal the amount of its fleet.
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