Gasgoo Munich- On January 17, Apollo Go, Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing service platform, officially launched fully driverless commercial Robotaxi services for the public in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with UAE-based autonomous mobility company AutoGo. The move marks Apollo Go's first overseas deployment of a fully driverless service open to the general public.
Image source: Apollo Go
Local residents and visitors can now hail Apollo Go's driverless vehicles via the AutoGo app. The service has initially launched on Yas Island, with plans to gradually expand coverage to additional parts of Abu Dhabi.
Yas Island—one of the Middle East's best-known integrated resort destinations and home to attractions such as Ferrari World and Warner Bros. World—provides an ideal setting for showcasing smart mobility solutions. The introduction of fully driverless services is expected to enhance both transportation efficiency and the overall tourism experience in the area.
Apollo Go's progress in Abu Dhabi has been swift since it entered the market in March 2025. Shortly after its arrival, the company formed a strategic partnership with AutoGo, outlining plans to deploy its sixth-generation autonomous vehicles in designated zones. In the months that followed, Apollo Go completed fully driverless testing on public roads, demonstrating its ability to adapt and scale in a new regulatory and traffic environment.
By November of the same year, Apollo Go had secured one of Abu Dhabi's first licenses for fully driverless commercial operations. The company also deepened its cooperation with AutoGo, announcing plans to deploy hundreds of autonomous vehicles by 2026, with the goal of building the city's largest fully driverless fleet.
Beyond the Middle East, Apollo Go has been accelerating its push into Europe and other overseas markets. In August 2025, the company entered a strategic partnership with ride-hailing platform Lyft to introduce autonomous ride services in Europe via Lyft's network. The two sides plan to begin deployments in Germany and the UK in 2026 using Apollo Go's sixth-generation vehicles, before scaling up to several thousand units across the region.
As of October 31, 2025, Apollo Go was operating in 22 cities worldwide, with cumulative ride orders surpassing 17 million, underscoring its growing footprint in the global autonomous mobility market.
