Uber Technologies has begun offering its first autonomous rides outside the US in Abu Dhabi, making good on an earlier partnership struck with Chinese vehicle partner WeRide.
Riders are able to request autonomous vehicles at UberX or Uber Comfort rates around key tourist areas of the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the company said in a statement. Those areas include Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, and routes to and from Zayed International Airport, with plans to expand the operating territory in the future.
Safety operators will be present in the autonomous vehicles during the initial launch period, and Uber expects the launch of a fully driverless service in 2025.
The latest foray marks further progress by Uber in its hopes to become the go-to app for hailing autonomous vehicles, without having to develop its own self-driving technology. It has struck at least seven related partnerships since June, including with Alphabet's Waymo, and is also invested in autonomous startups including WeRide, Bloomberg has reported.
Even so, investors are still nervous about the future of Uber and Lyft's business model, which currently relies on a large population of human drivers to be quickly matched with riders. Competition is rising from Waymo, which is an Uber partner in select US cities but also offers driverless rides on its own consumer app in other key markets like San Francisco.
Shares of Uber fell 9.6 percent on Thursday after Waymo announced it will launch in Miami in 2026 on its own app. Lyft shares plunged 10 percent. The rideshare companies also face potential competition from Elon Musk's planned robotaxi network, which has not yet been launched.
In Abu Dhabi, Uber said the service is supported by the local government's Integrated Transport Centre. Tawasul Transport, a national transport company, will provide fleet management services for WeRide's vehicles. The company did not disclose the size of the fleet.
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