Inbizzy, Dubai, — Dubai’s ambition to make one‑quarter of all journeys autonomous by 2030 took a tangible step forward at the weekend when Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and China‑born autonomous‑vehicle specialist Pony.ai unveiled the city’s first Level‑4 robotaxi. The electric sedan, shown during a reveal ceremony on 4 July, will spearhead supervised public trials next year before a planned fully driverless service launches in 2026.

High‑level endorsement

The prototype was presented at RTA headquarters in the presence of RTA Director‑General Mattar Al Tayer and Pony.ai chief financial officer Dr Leo Wang. The two executives formalised an earlier memorandum of understanding that commits both sides to a phased roll‑out of autonomous ride‑hailing across Dubai’s multimodal network.

“Operating autonomous taxis will enhance quality of life for residents and visitors, improve road safety and support our first‑ and last‑mile strategy,” Al Tayer said. “It is a key milestone toward converting 25 per cent of all Dubai trips to self‑driving modes by 2030.”

Wang described the emirate as “a strategic launch pad for Level‑4 autonomy in the Middle East,” saying the partnership will “set foundational standards for intelligent transport ecosystems across the region.”

How the pilot will work

• 2025: A small, safety‑driver‑supervised fleet will begin mapping and live passenger tests on selected routes.

• 2026: Subject to regulatory sign‑off, Pony.ai aims to remove the onboard driver and expand operations to key districts, integrating booking and payment into RTA’s S’hail super‑app.

• Beyond: Data gathered from the pilot will inform infrastructure upgrades and potential fleet scaling to hundreds of vehicles.

Inside the seventh‑generation robotaxi

The vehicle shown in Dubai uses Pony.ai’s new seventh‑generation autonomous stack, first demonstrated at April’s Shanghai Auto Show. The hardware suite is built entirely from automotive‑grade components and, according to the company, cuts bill‑of‑materials costs by 70 per cent versus the previous model while adding redundant lidar, radar and camera coverage for high‑temperature desert conditions.

Global track record

Founded in 2016 and dual‑headquartered in Silicon Valley and Guangzhou, Pony.ai has logged more than 25 million autonomous kilometres and currently fields about 300 robotaxis across Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen—with plans to raise that to 1,000 vehicles by end‑2025.

The company also holds autonomous testing permits in the United States, South Korea and Luxembourg, and last month announced a ride‑hailing tie‑up with Uber to broaden access to its technology.

Why it matters

• Economic gain: Autonomous services are expected to cut operating costs by up to 40 per cent once human drivers are removed, RTA modelling shows.

• Sustainability: Electric robotaxis dovetail with Dubai’s Net‑Zero 2050 targets by curbing tail‑pipe emissions in the city’s dense business corridors.

• Regional leadership: The initiative positions Dubai as the Gulf’s test bed for high‑speed regulation of AI‑driven mobility, complementing existing trials with Cruise and Volocopter.

Next steps

RTA engineers are finalising digital mapping of priority corridors, while Pony.ai calibrates its perception algorithms for regional traffic behaviour and extreme heat. Public‑road testing is slated to begin in Q1 2025, with limited ride‑hailing availability in tourist areas such as Downtown Dubai and the Marina shortly thereafter.

If the phased programme stays on schedule, visitors to Expo City Dubai in 2026 could be hailing driverless Pony.ai cabs directly from the RTA app—two years ahead of the emirate’s original timeline.