---
title: Chinese Robotaxis Expand Through the Middle East and Europe, but Not America
description: Baidu’s Apollo Go is now live on Uber in Dubai. Chinese robotaxi firms are expanding through the Middle East and Europe, but not the United States.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-20T09:15:43.267Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/chinese-robotaxis-uber-dubai-not-america
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/apollo-go-uber-dubai-181239.webp
categories: Science & Tech
content_type: Analysis
region: Global
publication: Sovereign Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

Today, Baidu’s fully driverless Apollo Go robotaxis went live for riders on the Uber app in Dubai. Baidu says passengers in the city’s Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah districts can now hail a car with no driver by booking Uber Comfort or UberX, or by selecting an “Autonomous” option, with a local company, New Horizon Luxury Transport, running the fleet. Baidu calls the launch the first step of a multi-year agreement to put thousands of Apollo Go vehicles onto Uber’s platform.

Baidu, WeRide and Pony.ai, the three most advanced Chinese robotaxi operators, are all pushing into the Middle East and Europe, and none of them carries paying riders in the United States. Baidu’s deal with Uber is written to keep it that way: the agreement commits Apollo Go to deploy [in multiple markets outside the U.S. and mainland China](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/01/ubers-autonomous-vehicle-deal-tracker/), with the first rollouts in Asia and the Middle East.

## Baidu Is Following WeRide Into the Same Two Neighborhoods

The Dubai launch is not new ground. WeRide, another Chinese company, began fully driverless service on the Uber app in the same two districts, Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, in late March 2026, roughly five months before Baidu arrived. Both companies run in the same neighborhoods, matched to riders through the same app, under the same regulator. Baidu’s announcement describes a first deployment, and for Baidu it is, but for the city and the platform it repeats a service that has been operating since the spring. Uber already manages WeRide’s robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi as well, with a local fleet operator handling the cars.

## The Pattern Repeats With Pony.ai in Europe

Pony.ai, another Chinese operator partnered with Uber, is moving into Europe on the same footing. Across all three companies the shape is the same: a driverless market opening to Chinese operators almost everywhere except the one country where their main American rivals are scaling, and where political and regulatory scrutiny of Chinese technology has been sharpest.

## Uber Sold Its Cars and Kept the App

Uber’s role in all of this follows a decision it made six years ago. In 2020 the company walked away from its most expensive moonshots, including self-driving, and sold its autonomous unit, Uber ATG, to Aurora while keeping an equity stake. Since then Uber has chosen to be the platform that carries other companies’ robotaxis rather than make its own. It has partnered with, and in some cases invested in, more than 30 autonomous-vehicle companies over the past two years. That strategy is what lets a rider in Dubai reach both a Baidu car and a WeRide car through the same booking screen, and it is why the company at the center of this market is a ride-hailing app rather than a carmaker.

## FAQ

**Q: Can Chinese robotaxi companies operate in the United States?**
Not through this partnership. Baidu’s agreement with Uber is written to deploy Apollo Go in markets outside the United States and mainland China, and Baidu, WeRide and Pony.ai are currently expanding through the Middle East and Europe rather than the US market.

**Q: How do you ride an Apollo Go robotaxi in Dubai?**
According to Baidu, riders in the Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah districts open the Uber app and book an Uber Comfort or UberX trip, or select an “Autonomous” option, and may be matched to a fully driverless Apollo Go car operated locally by New Horizon Luxury Transport.

**Q: Did Uber build its own self-driving cars?**
Uber tried, then stopped. It sold its self-driving division, Uber ATG, to Aurora in 2020 while keeping an equity stake, and has since focused on being the platform that carries other companies’ robotaxis, partnering with more than 30 autonomous-vehicle firms.

**Q: Was Baidu the first driverless service on Uber in Dubai?**
No. WeRide began fully driverless service on the Uber app in the same two Dubai districts in late March 2026, about five months before Baidu’s launch.