Baidu’s Apollo Go Joins Uber in Dubai, Without a Safety Driver
Uber has integrated Baidu’s Apollo Go in Dubai, offering rides with no safety driver. While its first European autonomous rides in Zagreb the previous day included a safety driver, Apollo Go vehicles in Dubai are completely driverless.
August 20, 2026
Credit: Uber
Starting Thursday, Dubai residents can request an UberX or Uber Comfort through the app, potentially pairing with an Apollo Go vehicle without a driver. An "Autonomous" option increases the likelihood, but it’s not the only way to request a driverless ride.
The one-day gap between the Zagreb launch with safety drivers and the Dubai launch without any is notable.
Two Different Regulatory Perspectives
The timing highlights contrasting regulatory responses. While Zagreb’s service, powered by Pony.ai and Verne, launched with safety drivers, Dubai took a bolder step, deploying fully autonomous vehicles. This disparity raises questions about how regulations are shaping the future of autonomous vehicles.
About the Vehicles
The Apollo Go vehicles in Dubai are the sixth-generation RT6, an electric car designed for driverless operation. Baidu claims the RT6 utilizes over 30 sensors and processes data in real-time. While Baidu provides scale figures, no independent audits are available. Apollo Go has operated in 28 cities, logging over 350 million autonomous kilometers, with 240 million of those fully driverless.
Three Notable Firsts
The release claims several "firsts":
- The first multi-partner autonomous network globally (a claim attributed to Uber’s Sarfraz Maredia).
- The successful establishment of a dual-model offering both self-driving and traditional taxi services in Dubai (according to Nan Yang, Baidu’s VP of International Intelligent Driving).
- The first deployment of completely driverless vehicles for public rides in a major metropolis (implied by Uber’s announcement).
Regulatory Considerations
The contrasting approaches in Zagreb and Dubai highlight the complex interplay between technology, innovation, and regulation in shaping the future of autonomous vehicles.