Globenewswire·2025-11-17 12:42Core Insights - WeRide has received a city-level commercial permit for fully driverless Robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi, making it the first international company to achieve this milestone in the UAE [1][2][4] Company Developments - The permit, granted on October 31, 2025, allows WeRide's Robotaxis to operate without an on-board safety driver, with commercial operations set to begin on the Uber and TXAI platforms in Abu Dhabi [2][4] - WeRide has been operating Robotaxis in Abu Dhabi since 2021 and launched a partnership with Uber in December 2024, which is the largest commercial Robotaxi service outside the U.S. and China [5][6] - As of October 2025, WeRide Robotaxis have accumulated nearly one million kilometers in Abu Dhabi, and the new permit enables the service to achieve financial breakeven on unit economics [6][8] Regulatory and Testing Milestones - WeRide's permit application was approved after a thorough evaluation process, following the granting of the UAE's first national license for self-driving vehicles in July 2023 [3][4] - The company has been conducting fully driverless Robotaxi testing since Q2 2025, validating reliability ahead of commercial deployment [9] Future Expansion Plans - WeRide aims to expand its Middle East fleet to 1,000 Robotaxis by 2026 and plans to deploy tens of thousands of Robotaxis by 2030 [9]