Autonomous taxi service, also referred to as robotaxi or self-driving ride share service, is expanding operations on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in the UAE. The Integrated Transport Centre of Abu Dhabi has welcomed Apollo Go, a subsidiary of China’s Baidu, to operate in the tourism district of the area. Alongside this development, there are plans to expand again in the future to other Abu Dhabi locations outside of Yas Island.
Apollo Go | AutoGo has launched on @yasisland, adding self-driving taxis to the heart of Abu Dhabi's tourism and entertainment district. pic.twitter.com/L0DU8gVWbu
— Everything You Need To Know (@EYNTKinfo) March 23, 2026
The collaboration between Baidu’s Apollo Go and K2’s AutoGo began in March 2025, when they announced the partnership to build Abu Dhabi’s largest fully driverless fleet. Building on that momentum, the companies secured one of the inaugural permits for fully driverless commercial operation in Abu Dhabi in mid-November 2025 and signed a next-phase agreement to scale the fleet to hundreds of vehicles by 2026.
The service has begun on Yas Island, which covers shopping and dining districts, world class hotels, the Abu Dhabi F1 Racetrack and a series of theme parks – including the upcoming Disneyland Abu Dhabi. Yas Island already hosts numerous taxi, ride sharing and bus services and now adds AutoGo to the transportation options.
Phased autonomous rollout in Abu Dhabi, UAE
The initial operation covers Yas Island a permitted zone for fully driverless operations. Following the launch on Yas Island, the service will begin a phased roll-out across Abu Dhabi. The expansion will begin with Reem Island, Al Maryah Island, and Saadiyat Island. 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.
“AutoGo’s transition to live robotaxi operations marks an important milestone in Abu Dhabi’s autonomous mobility journey,” said Sean Teo, Managing Director of K2. “Launching the service at the start of the year reflects our focus on execution and long-term value creation. By introducing robotaxi services in real urban environments and scaling across key districts, we are moving decisively from development to deployment—delivering autonomy that is practical, safe, and ready for everyday use.”
Autonomous vehicle expansion continues worldwide
Autonomous vehicle services are continue to expand worldwide. Tesla’s Robotaxi service has added U.S. cities and is working on its Cybercab vehicle, expected to debut this year. Waymo has expanded operations to Florida, recently adding Orlando’s tourism district to its operations.
