Baidu’s Apollo Go and K2’s UAE-based autonomous mobility company AutoGo are expanding their fleet in Abu Dhabi.

They have agreed to scale their fleet to hundreds of vehicles by 2026, advancing the goal of building Abu Dhabi’s largest fully driverless fleet. The partners won one of the inaugural permits to operate a fully driverless commercial robotaxi service for the public in Abu Dhabi.

This next-phase partnership was signed as the partners secured one of Abu Dhabi’s inaugural fully driverless commercial permits issued by the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), readying the fleet to commence fully driverless robotaxi service for the public. With the permit now in place and hundreds of new vehicles to be deployed, both partners are advancing rapidly towards the goal of large-scale fully driverless commercial operations in Abu Dhabi by next year.

This permit builds upon the partnership’s progress since its March announcement, including months of fully driverless testing on public roads. It authorises the fleet to provide robotaxi services officially to Abu Dhabi’s residents and visitors. These milestones are said to confirm the fleet’s readiness for scaled deployment, advancing the ultimate goal of building Abu Dhabi’s largest fully driverless fleet.

“We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with AutoGo in Abu Dhabi and to secure one of the emirate’s inaugural fully driverless commercial permits,” said Liang Zhang, managing director of Baidu Apollo in Emea. “Moving from our initial announcement to fully driverless testing in just a few months, and now securing the permit, shows incredible potential and strong support for autonomous mobility in the UAE. This next phase, focused on larger-scale operation, brings us one step closer to a future of safer, smarter and more sustainable transportation for the region.”

Sean Teo, managing director of K2 (k2.world), added: “AutoGo is committed to advancing Abu Dhabi’s position as a global leader in smart and autonomous vehicle technology. Our partnership with Baidu’s Apollo Go is instrumental in this mission. The fully driverless commercial permit is a testament to our combined capabilities, and we are excited to expand our cooperation to build Abu Dhabi’s largest driverless robotaxi fleet, transforming the mobility landscape of the UAE.”

The announcement was made during this month’s Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week where Apollo Go and AutoGo showcased their fully driverless ride-hailing service.

Apollo Go (www.apollogo.com) has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometres with a strong safety record. With a global footprint across 22 cities, Apollo Go’s weekly ride count surpasses 250,000, and it has completed more than 17 million cumulative rides. Looking ahead, Apollo Go and AutoGo (autogo.world) will scale commercial robotaxi services to reach more users and advance Abu Dhabi’s smart city vision.

Founded in 2000, Baidu (ir.baidu.com) is a Chinese AI company with strong internet foundations.