WeRide — a Chinese autonomous-vehicle technology company — has launched the first robotaxi trial in Saudi Arabia, in partnership with Uber Technologies in the capital city Riyadh.
The service marks a milestone in the Kingdom’s push toward smart mobility and autonomous transport.
Key Details of the Launch
- On 23 July 2025, WeRide began a trial of its robotaxi service in Riyadh.
- The service is conducted on public roads, under the supervision of the Transport General Authority (TGA) of Saudi Arabia.
- The operational areas include King Khalid International Airport, downtown Riyadh districts, and major connecting highways.
- 13 designated pick-up and drop-off locations have been set up across seven strategic sites for the 12-month trial.
- At launch, each vehicle still carries a safety operator onboard — fully driverless commercial service is expected later.
Why it Matters
- This is Saudi Arabia’s first major deployment of autonomous ride-hailing services, aligning with its Saudi Vision 2030 to transform transportation and embrace smart, sustainable mobility.
- Uber, already a major ride-hailing player in Saudi Arabia (operating in some 20 cities and millions of users), is leveraging this move to integrate future autonomous mobility into its platform.
- WeRide is expanding beyond China and the UAE — the Riyadh launch reflects its global ambitions (it already has operations in the UAE) and strengthens its international footprint.
✅ The Partnership & Strategic Context
- Uber has signed an MoU with Saudi Arabia’s TGA to deploy autonomous vehicle (AV) services in the Kingdom, as part of its push into next-gen mobility.
- In May 2025, Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, stated that the company plans to launch self-driving vehicles in Saudi Arabia that year.
- The WeRide–Uber tie-up forms part of a larger global strategy, with WeRide aiming to bring robotaxi services to around 15 new cities via Uber.
🧭 What To Watch & What’s Next
- Commercial scale-up: While the trial is already live, full commercial driverless (no safety operator) service is projected by late 2025.
- Route expansion: Initially limited to select zones and pick-up/drop-off stations; expansion to a wider network and more zones is expected as the trial progresses.
- Regulatory & infrastructure readiness: The TGA and other authorities are building the regulatory framework and technical infrastructure needed for safe AV deployment.
- Consumer adoption & ride-hail integration: Users of Uber in Riyadh may eventually have the option to choose an autonomous vehicle for their trip. Their acceptance, ride-experience quality, and pricing will be key.
- Safety and public confidence: Though AVs promise fewer driver errors, data from the trial (incident rates, reliability) will be closely monitored, especially in Middle East conditions (weather, road norms).
- Economic & mobility impact: Autonomous ride-hailing may reduce costs, improve access in underserved areas, ease congestion, and support the transport-logistics strategy.
🎯 Implications For Saudi Arabia and the Region
- For Saudi Arabia, this move strengthens its positioning as a high-tech mobility hub in the Middle East. It supports decarbonisation, mobility accessibility, and economic diversification under Vision 2030.
- For Uber and WeRide, the opportunity is significant: Saudi Arabia offers one of the fastest-growing ride-hail markets (70 %+ growth reported) and favourable regulatory openness for AVs.
- It sets a blueprint for other cities and countries in the region to adopt AV-based mobility services, which could reshape urban transport paradigms.
Summary
The launch of the robotaxi service in Riyadh by WeRide and Uber is a landmark step in autonomous mobility deployment outside traditional markets like China and the U.S. It blends ambitious national policy (smart cities, mobility innovation) with global technology firms’ strategies.
For riders in Riyadh, the experience may still be in its early phase (with safety operators onboard), but the long-term trajectory points to fully autonomous ride-hailing. The next phase — commercial scaling, full autonomy, broader network — will be a critical test of technology, regulation, and public acceptance.
SOURCE: Uber