From Trials to Commercial Service
The RT6 is described by RTA as the sixth generation of Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing vehicle, purpose-built for large-scale deployment. Trials with safety drivers behind the wheel took place in areas including Jumeirah and Dubai Silicon Oasis, following a memorandum of understanding between RTA and Apollo Go reached after discussions at the 2024 World Governments Summit. Baidu has also opened an autonomous vehicle operations and control centre in Dubai — its first such facility outside China.
RTA has separately expanded partnerships with Uber and the autonomous driving firm WeRide, with autonomous vehicles also made available through the Uber app in Dubai as part of a broader push toward driverless mobility.
Why Dubai Is Pursuing Autonomous Taxis
RTA officials have cited road safety as a central motivation, noting that human error is responsible for more than 90 percent of traffic accidents. The programme forms part of RTA's wider ambition to shift a significant share of journeys to driverless trips by the end of the decade.
For residents and visitors, the practical effect is the gradual appearance of RT6 vehicles — identifiable by their sensor arrays — operating without a human driver in designated zones, bookable through partner ride-hailing apps in the same way as a conventional taxi.
Key Facts
● RTA and Baidu Apollo Go officially launched RT6 autonomous taxi operations in February 2026.
● Public rollout targeted for the first quarter of 2026 following open-road trials with safety drivers.
● Trials took place in Jumeirah and Dubai Silicon Oasis.
● Baidu's Dubai operations centre is its first outside China.
● RTA has separate autonomous-vehicle partnerships with Uber and WeRide.
Sources
Gulf News — "Robotaxis hit Dubai roads ahead of 2026 launch, RTA confirms," 2026.
Fast Company Middle East — "Dubai announces launch of autonomous taxi operations in Q1 2026," February 2026.
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