Apollo Go launches in Dubai — Baidu's first international robotaxi app deployment

Baidu said on April 1 that Apollo Go had started fully driverless commercial ride-hailing in Dubai through the Apollo Go app, its first international app deployment. The launch was announced with Dubai Taxi Company and under a partnership with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, or RTA. Dubai Taxi Company said riders can book trips through the Apollo Go app on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Baidu described the service as fully driverless, with no human driver in the vehicle. ### How did Apollo Go get from trials to a commercial launch in Dubai? Dubai’s RTA said on April 20, 2025 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Baidu’s Apollo Go to begin operational trials of 50 autonomous taxis in 2025. Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the board of executive directors at the RTA, said at the time that Baidu and Uber partner WeRide would begin trials with a safety driver before a driverless commercial launch in 2026. (prnewswire.com) April 1, 2026 marked the next step, when Baidu and Dubai Taxi Company said the commercial service had gone live. The companies called it a fully driverless ride-hailing service, indicating the launch had moved beyond the earlier trial phase described by the RTA. (rta.ae) ### Who are the local partners, and what are they doing? Dubai Taxi Company said the service combines Apollo Go’s autonomous driving system with the company’s local taxi operations. The announcement named the RTA as the government partner and Dubai Taxi Company as the operating partner for the launch. (prnewswire.com) Mattar Al Tayer said in the RTA’s 2025 announcement that autonomous taxis are part of Dubai’s broader transport plans. The RTA said then that autonomous mobility would support the emirate’s goal of converting 25% of all journeys in Dubai into autonomous trips across various transport modes by 2030. (dubaitaxi.ae) ### What does “first international app deployment” mean here? Baidu said in its April 1 release that Dubai is Apollo Go’s first international app deployment. The wording matters because Apollo Go has operated widely in China and had also expanded testing and licensing activity outside mainland China, including in Hong Kong, according to Baidu-linked materials, but the company framed Dubai as the first time users outside China could book the service through the Apollo Go app in a commercial rollout. (rta.ae) That reading is based on Baidu’s description of the Dubai launch. Dubai Taxi Company used the same phrasing in its own statement, calling the launch Apollo Go’s first international app deployment and a milestone for the region. The Dubai government’s media office also described the service as driverless commercial ride-hailing through the Apollo Go app. (prnewswire.com) ### How large is the rollout, and where does Baidu say it is headed? Dubai Taxi Company said the rollout will begin with 50 vehicles in the first year. The company said it plans a phased expansion to more than 1,000 driverless vehicles over the next few years. January 2026 also brought the opening of Apollo Go Park in Dubai, which Dubai Taxi Company described as Baidu’s first overseas operations and management hub. (dubaitaxi.ae) The company said the site would support the planned fleet expansion. ### When might investors hear more from Baidu? Baidu said on April 23 that it will report first-quarter 2026 financial results before the U.S. market opens on May 18. (dubaitaxi.ae) The company said management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 a.m. EDT that day. Baidu’s investor relations calendar lists the same May 18 event, and the company’s investor overview page also shows an annual general meeting scheduled for June 5, 2026. (dubaitaxi.ae) Those dates are the next public milestones on Baidu’s corporate calendar after the Dubai launch. (ir.baidu.com 1) (ir.baidu.com 2)