WeRide Corp ADR (NASDAQ:WRD) saw its shares edge 3.8% higher in premarket trading on Monday after the autonomous driving firm announced it has been granted approval to launch fully driverless Robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi.
The new permit — issued on October 31, 2025 — authorizes WeRide to operate its Robotaxis commercially without any safety driver inside the vehicle. With this approval, WeRide becomes one of the earliest companies worldwide to obtain a city-level license for Level 4 autonomous ride-hailing outside the U.S., and the first international operator to achieve this in the United Arab Emirates.
WeRide plans to kick off commercial service through both Uber and TXAI in the capital, extending its already-established footprint. The company has been providing Robotaxi services with TXAI in Abu Dhabi since 2021 and expanded its presence through a partnership with Uber in late 2024, creating what it calls the biggest commercial Robotaxi network outside the U.S. and China.
As of October 2025, WeRide’s vehicles have logged nearly one million autonomous kilometers in Abu Dhabi. The company said that eliminating the in-car safety officer requirement will allow its Robotaxi fleet in the emirate to reach financial breakeven at the unit level.
This advancement comes after WeRide secured the UAE’s first national self-driving license in July 2023, authorizing road testing and autonomous operations on public streets across the country.
Looking ahead, WeRide expects to scale its Middle Eastern fleet to 1,000 Robotaxis by 2026, with a longer-term target of deploying tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles globally by 2030.