Dubai has officially launched the operational phase of fully autonomous RT6 taxi cars marking a major step in the region to push to integrate advanced artificial intelligence into its transport network.
The driverless cabs were inaugurated by Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He has travelled in one of the autonomous taxis to the venue of the World Government Summit at Madinat Jumeriah, showcasing the readiness of the technology to operate in real urban conditions on roads open to live traffic.
On my way to the World Governments Summit 2026, I took a ride in a fully autonomous taxi, enabled by artificial intelligence, advanced sensing technologies, and autonomous decision-making systems. The future of mobility in Dubai will be smarter, safer, more efficient, and more… pic.twitter.com/p4xJFE0HS0
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) February 5, 2026
This clears the signals for the public launch of the service in the first quarter of 2026.
During the ride of driverless taxi, Sheikh Hamdan was briefed regarding the vehicle’s operating system which is dependent on artificial intelligence, advanced sensing technologies and autonomous decision-making capability to ensure safe and seamless ride.
The RT6 vehicle are designed by Chinese company Baidu Apollo Go which represents the sixth generation of autonomous taxi technology and has been developed for large scale deployment.
The newly launched driverless taxi is equipped with more than 40 sensors that consists of high-precision LiDAR, multi-brand radars, and advanced cameras, letting the taxi to perceive its surroundings accurately by responding to changing traffic conditions, and comply fully with transport safety standards and traffic regulations.
The system is backed by a sophisticated software ecosystem that integrates real-time data, HD maps, and deep learning algorithms, allowing seamless interaction with intersections, pedestrians, and other vehicles. The technology draws on extensive global experience with the Chinese company. The vehicles have tested for more than 150 million kilometers of safe driving and over 10 million autonomous trips across several cities.
This initiative portrays the cooperation between the Roads and Transport Authority and Baidu Apollo Go has started its first autonomous vehicle operations and control centre outside China at Dubia Science Park. The Dubai facility of the company manages monitering, software updates, maintenance, and safety testing. The company has further plans to expand its autonomous fleet in Dubai to more than 1,000 vehicles in the future.
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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