Baidu's Apollo Go Secures Dubai's First Fully Driverless Testing Permit, Launches Local Operations Hub

• Apollo Go receives Dubai's very first driverless testing permit for fully autonomous vehicles without a safety driver, paving the way for a fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the emirate as early as the first quarter of 2026.
• New Apollo Go Park in Dubai becomes Apollo Go's first overseas operations and management hub, supporting a planned 1,000‑vehicle fleet target in the coming years.

DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) today announced that Apollo Go, its autonomous ride‑hailing platform, has received Dubai's first driverless vehicle trial permit from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The permit allows Apollo Go to operate fully autonomous vehicles on designated public roads without a human safety driver behind the wheel, marking another critical step toward Apollo Go's goal of launching a fully autonomous commercial ride‑hailing service in Dubai as early as the first quarter of 2026.

The driverless vehicle trial permit was formally issued by the RTA during the opening of Apollo Go Park in Dubai, Apollo Go's first facility of its kind outside China. Located in downtown Dubai, the 2,000‑square‑meter Apollo Go Park is designed as a comprehensive center for autonomous vehicles, integrating intelligent road infrastructure, charging and maintenance facilities, and related technologies. It is expected to evolve into a central command hub as Apollo Go and the RTA plan to expand the fleet to more than 1,000 fully driverless vehicles in Dubai.

The launch ceremony was attended by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai, who observed Apollo Go's first fully driverless vehicle operating on designated public roads in the emirate.

"The opening of Apollo Go's first operations center 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," said H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai. "The RTA's issuance of Dubai's first permit for fully driverless operational trials without a safety driver represents a qualitative milestone, translating our commitment to developing a flexible and secure legislative framework that keeps pace with rapid advancements in mobility technologies, supports innovation, and fosters partnerships with leading specialized global companies in this field. The collaboration with Baidu Apollo Go forms part of the RTA's vision to expand future mobility solutions and enhance the deployment of autonomous vehicles across taxi and ride-hailing services. This will contribute to improving quality of life, enhancing road safety, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing the efficiency of the emirate's transport network."

"As Dubai's public transport network continues to grow, we see autonomous mobility as a powerful complement to our existing services," said Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority. "Through this trial permit and the deployment of Apollo Go's autonomous vehicles on designated open roads, we will rigorously test safety, reliability, and customer experience, ensuring that any future large-scale rollout fully meets Dubai's standards and serves the needs of our residents and visitors."

"We are honored that the RTA has entrusted Apollo Go with Dubai's first driverless vehicle trial permit," said Yunpeng Wang, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and President of Baidu's Intelligent Driving Group. "Together with the opening of our first overseas Apollo Go Park today, this marks a truly significant milestone in Apollo Go's expansion in the UAE and our long-term commitment to the region. Building on our proven expertise worldwide, we look forward to working closely with the RTA and local partners to deliver safe, efficient, and sustainable autonomous ride‑hailing services, accelerating the emirate's transition toward intelligent transportation."

"Receiving Dubai's first driverless vehicle trial permit is a testament to the safety and maturity of our technology," said Liang Zhang, Managing Director of EMEA, Baidu Apollo. "By establishing our first overseas Apollo Go Park here, we are creating a strong foundation to localize our operations and work closely with the RTA to bring safe, efficient, and sustainable autonomous mobility to Dubai's residents."

This progress is built on the strategic cooperation agreement signed between Apollo Go and the RTA in March 2025 to advance autonomous driving testing and services in Dubai. In July 2025, the RTA granted Apollo Go the emirate's first autonomous driving trial permit and an initial batch of 50 autonomous driving test licenses. Since August, Apollo Go has been conducting trials of a 50‑vehicle RT6 fleet on designated public roads in Dubai.

Apollo Go's rapid expansion into the UAE is backed by its industry-leading autonomous driving technology and proven real-world operational expertise. As a leading autonomous ride‑hailing service provider globally, Apollo Go has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometers, of which over 140 million kilometers were completed in fully driverless mode. With a global footprint across 22 cities, Apollo Go's weekly ride count has recently surpassed 250,000, and the service has completed more than 17 million cumulative rides as of October 31, 2025.

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SOURCE Baidu, Inc.