Baidu Apollo Go Autonomous Vehicles Operations Centre opened

DUBAI / WAM

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group on Thursday inaugurated Baidu Apollo Go’s Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Centre at Dubai Science Park, the company’s first such facility outside China. Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s RTA, and Yunpeng Wang, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and President of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group, opened the 2,000-square-metre centre, which will serve as a hub for fleet operations, maintenance, charging, software updates and safety testing.
The centre is designed as a comprehensive hub for managing infrastructure resources, services, and internet-based applications, in addition to a simulation room, a training room, and an operations and maintenance centre. RTA granted Baidu Apollo Go Dubai’s first permit of its kind, authorising the company to conduct trials of fully autonomous vehicles on designated public roads without a safety driver behind the wheel. The centre aligns with Apollo Go’s plans to expand its autonomous vehicle fleet in Dubai to more than 1,000 vehicles in the coming years.
The centre is responsible for the daily operation of vehicles, routine maintenance, charging operations, software updates, vehicle management and inspection, as well as the maintenance of components and equipment dedicated to test vehicles. It also supports safety testing and ensures rapid and effective response to operational commands, while enabling safety drivers to perform their roles across areas including test readiness, safety awareness, training, device inventory management, and support for day-to-day office operations.
The opening of the Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Centre builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between RTA and the company in March 2025 to enable the large-scale operation of autonomous taxis across the emirate.
In July 2025, the company obtained the emirate’s first autonomous driving trial permit to conduct operational trials of autonomous vehicles, followed in August by the launch of trials involving 50 RT6 autonomous vehicles on designated roads in Dubai. Securing the first permit to conduct fully driverless trials without a safety driver behind the wheel marks a pivotal milestone in Apollo Go’s efforts to launch a fully integrated commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in the emirate in the first quarter of 2026.
Al Tayer said the move supports Dubai’s efforts to position itself as a global leader in smart mobility and the use of artificial intelligence in transport. He added, “The opening of Apollo Go’s first operations centre outside China reflects the strong confidence of leading global companies in Dubai’s advanced regulatory environment and the readiness of its smart infrastructure to accommodate and advance autonomous vehicle technologies in line with the highest standards of safety and efficiency.” Al Tayer noted that this collaboration forms part of RTA’s vision to expand future mobility solutions and enhance the deployment of autonomous vehicles across taxi and ride-hailing services. Wang said the permit and the opening of the centre mark a milestone in Apollo Go’s expansion in the United Arab Emirates.
“Building on our proven global expertise, we look forward to working closely with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and local partners to deliver safe, efficient and sustainable autonomous ride-hailing services, accelerating the emirate’s transition towards intelligent transportation,” he said.
“Receiving Dubai’s first driverless vehicle trial permit is a testament to the safety and maturity of our technology,” said Liang Zhang, Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Baidu Apollo. “By establishing our first overseas Apollo Go Park here in Dubai, we are creating a strong foundation to localise our operations and work closely with Dubai’s RTA to deliver safe, efficient and sustainable autonomous mobility solutions for the emirate’s residents.”