The Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Mattar Al Tayer, alongside Baidu’s Executive Vice President and Head of Intelligent Driving Group, Yunpeng Wang, inaugurated the operational and monitoring center for self-driving vehicles under the “Baidu Apollo Go” program in the Dubai Science Park. This facility marks Baidu’s first establishment outside of China.
Spanning 2,000 square meters, the center is built to serve as a comprehensive hub for managing infrastructure resources, services, and internet-based applications. It features a control and command center, a simulation room, a training area, and operational maintenance facilities.
The RTA granted Baidu Apollo Go its first-ever permit in Dubai, allowing the company to conduct full operational tests of completely autonomous vehicles on specified public roads without the need for a safety driver behind the wheel.
Facilities and Capabilities of the Center
During his tour of the center, Mattar Al Tayer listened to insights about its facilities and operational functionalities. The center is designed as a comprehensive hub for self-driving vehicles, integrating smart road infrastructure, charging and maintenance facilities, and relevant technologies. This aligns with Apollo Go’s plans to expand its fleet of self-driving vehicles in Dubai to over 1,000 units in the coming years.
The center will manage daily vehicle operations, periodic maintenance, charging activities, software updates, vehicle management and inspections, as well as maintenance of components and systems related to testing vehicles. It also supports safety testing and ensures a swift and effective response to operational commands, while empowering safety drivers to perform tasks that include readiness for tests, safety awareness training, inventory management, and daily office operations support.
Operational Progress
The launch of the self-driving vehicle operations and monitoring center follows a memorandum of understanding signed between RTA and Baidu in March 2025, aimed at deploying autonomous taxi services extensively across the emirate. In July 2025, Baidu received its first permit to conduct operational tests of self-driving vehicles, leading to the initiation of operations with 50 RT6 model vehicles on specific roads in Dubai in August.
Obtaining the initial permit for full operation of autonomous vehicles without a safety driver marks a crucial milestone in Apollo Go’s endeavors to launch a comprehensive commercial service for ordering autonomous rides in the emirate during the first quarter of 2026.
Global Confidence in Dubai
Mattar Al Tayer expressed his enthusiasm about the opening of Baidu Apollo Go’s operations and monitoring center, emphasizing that this development is a strategically significant step in Dubai’s journey to establish itself as a global leader in smart mobility and the application of artificial intelligence in the transportation sector.
He stated: “The inauguration of Apollo Go’s first operations center outside of China reflects the significant trust that leading global companies place in Dubai’s advanced regulatory environment and the readiness of its smart infrastructure to accommodate and enhance autonomous vehicle technologies to the highest safety and efficiency standards. Furthermore, granting the first permit in Dubai for full operational testing of self-driving vehicles without a safety driver signifies our commitment to developing a flexible and secure regulatory framework that keeps pace with the rapid transformations in mobility technologies, supports innovation, and strengthens partnerships with major global firms in this sector.”
Al Tayer continued, “Partnering with Baidu Apollo Go aligns with RTA’s vision to expand future mobility solutions and enhance the use of autonomous vehicles in taxi and ride-hailing services. This initiative will contribute to improving quality of life, increasing road safety, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing the efficiency of the emirate’s transport network.”
He assured that the RTA continues to collaborate with its strategic partners to accelerate the adoption of smart mobility solutions and support the transformation of Dubai into a global laboratory for future transport technologies aligned with the leadership’s vision for building an innovation-driven economy based on advanced technology.”
Expansion in the UAE
Yunpeng Wang, Baidu’s Executive Vice President, stated, “We are honored that the RTA has granted us the first permit in the emirate for fully autonomous vehicle testing. This achievement, coinciding with the opening of our first Apollo Go center outside of China, signifies a critical turning point in Apollo Go’s expansion within the UAE and reaffirms our long-term commitment to the region.”
He added, “Drawing from our proven global expertise, we look forward to working closely with RTA and local partners to deliver safe, efficient, and sustainable autonomous ride-hailing services, facilitating the emirate’s transition to a smart transportation system.”
Liang Chang, General Manager for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Baidu Apollo, remarked, “Being granted the first permit in Dubai for complete autonomous vehicle testing is clear evidence of our safety standards and technological maturity. Establishing our first Apollo Go center outside of China in Dubai solidifies a strong foundation for local operations, allowing us to closely collaborate with RTA to provide safe, efficient, and sustainable autonomous mobility solutions for the residents of the emirate.”
240 Million Kilometers of Autonomous Operations
Apollo Go’s rapid expansion in the UAE is backed by the company’s leading self-driving technologies and established operational experiences. As one of the key global providers of autonomous ride-hailing services, Apollo Go vehicles have completed over 240 million kilometers in self-driving operations, including more than 140 million kilometers fully unmanned.
With a global presence across 22 cities, the platform has surpassed 250,000 weekly rides, with a total exceeding 17 million rides completed as of October 31, 2025.