The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai have officially unveiled their joint robotaxi programme, marking a significant step forward in the city’s ambition to convert 25% of all journeys to autonomous transport by 2030
Yesterday’s announcement the signing of a memorandum of understanding earlier this year, and will see the “deployment of Level 4 autonomous robotaxis in Dubai”, beginning with “supervised trials in 2025”, according to both parties.
The announcement was made at a reveal ceremony in Dubai on 4 July, attended by His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, and Dr Leo Wang, Chief Financial Officer of Pony.ai.
The partnership positions Dubai as Pony.ai’s global platform for expanding operations beyond China.
In a statement, His Excellency Al Tayer said the deal would strengthen Dubai’s role as a “global leader in future mobility” and highlighted the importance of international collaboration in the transition to autonomous transport.
“RTA’s continued expansion of partnerships with leading global companies in the field of autonomous mobility marks a key step towards achieving the Dubai Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy,” Al Tayer added.
“It underscores RTA’s commitment to working closely with global technology leaders to advance the future of smart, efficient, and sustainable mobility.”
Dr Wang said the move aligned with Pony.ai’s strategy to focus on global deployment in major innovation-led economies.
“The collaboration with Dubai RTA exemplifies our commitment to deploying Level 4 autonomous technology in strategic global markets,” he said.
“By aligning our technological capabilities with RTA’s visionary leadership, we’re establishing foundational standards for intelligent transportation ecosystems across the MENA region.”
Under the agreement, the Dubai robotaxi initiative will roll out in multiple phases, starting with closely supervised public trials next year. These will take place across defined areas and form part of a wider multi-modal integration strategy being developed by the RTA.
“The operation of autonomous taxis contributes to the integration of transport systems by facilitating the movement of public transport users and improving access to their final destinations in line with the first and last-mile strategy,” Al Tayer added.
“Operating autonomous taxis will enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors in Dubai, improve road safety, and offer greater convenience in daily mobility across the emirate.”
The robotaxi fleet will use Pony.ai’s seventh-generation autonomous driving stack, which was launched in April at the Shanghai Auto Show. According to the company, the system includes 100% automotive-grade components and is designed for cross-platform adaptability, cost efficiency, and extreme temperature resilience.
The platform has already been tested in high-temperature desert conditions, with Pony.ai citing operational safety and localisation performance as key development priorities for the Middle East market.
The Dubai collaboration forms part of Pony.ai’s broader international expansion strategy. The company currently operates around 300 autonomous vehicles across China’s four Tier-1 cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – and says it expects to reach a fleet of 1,000 vehicles by the end of 2025.
The firm has also secured robotaxi testing and operation permits in four major jurisdictions: the United States, China, South Korea and Luxembourg.
In May, it announced a strategic partnership with Uber, and has begun operational trials in Seoul’s Gangnam District, the Lenningen community in Luxembourg, and Singapore where it is working with ComfortDelGro.
Pony.ai says it is now focused on building regulatory, technical and commercial pathways for deployment across both developed and emerging markets.
Main image: His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority; Mr. Ahmed Hashim Bahrozyan, CEO of Public Transport Agency, RTA; Dr. Leo Wang, Chief Financial Officer of Pony.ai; Ms. Ann Shi, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development of Pony.ai attended the ceremony. Credit: Pony.Ai/RTA
