Ride-hailing giant Uber and Chinese self-driving technology company Willide have launched a commercial robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi. The launch marks Uber's first international self-driving car offering.
Uber has partnerships with self-driving car companies across areas such as ride-hailing, delivery and trucking. Other partners include Wayve, Serve Robotics, Aurora Innovation, Waabi, and more.
Still, investors are wary that incumbents like Uber won't be able to compete with companies building technology like Waymo and potentially Tesla. Uber stock fell nearly 10% on Thursday after Waymo announced plans to launch a robotaxi service in Miami. This is despite the fact that true disruption to the ride-hailing industry by self-driving cars will take years, and Uber could be one of them. An app that will eventually connect riders to robotaxis.
Uber's partnership with Willide, which went public on the Nasdaq in late October, will be small, an Uber spokesperson said. Neither Uber nor Willide would initially say how many vehicles would be on Abu Dhabi's roads. The initial deployment will take place between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island and along the route to and from Zayed International Airport, with plans to expand in the future.
A human safety operator will be in each vehicle at launch, with a fully driverless commercial launch planned for late 2025.
Uber and WeRide will work with local Tawasul Transport to operate the vehicles.