Qiming Venture Partners | WeRide partners with Uber and Dubai's RTA to debut Robotaxi service in Dubai
Leveraging WeRide's advanced autonomous driving technology and extensive operational experience, combined with Uber's powerful global mobility platform, the two companies will have the capability and potential to deliver quality services to millions of users worldwide.
Recently, Qiming Venture Partners portfolio company and the world's first publicly listed Robotaxi company WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD) announced a strategic partnership with the world's largest mobility and delivery technology company Uber Technologies, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "Uber") and Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (hereinafter referred to as "RTA"). The three parties will collaborate to launch Robotaxi autonomous ride-hailing services in Dubai. This marks a significant milestone for WeRide and Uber in advancing the global development of autonomous driving, and further solidifies both companies' global leadership in applying cutting-edge autonomous driving technology to benefit users.
Under the agreement, WeRide will work with Uber and RTA on a Robotaxi pilot operation project in Dubai. Going forward, WeRide's Robotaxi fleet will be fully integrated into the Uber platform in Dubai, providing users with a seamless and user-friendly autonomous ride-hailing experience. The three parties will also explore collaboration on data compliance, safety protocols, and regulatory frameworks to advance Dubai's transformation toward an autonomous mobility ecosystem.
This Dubai partnership brings together WeRide's global technical expertise in autonomous driving and Uber's leading advantages in global ride-hailing and mobility solutions, helping Dubai establish itself as a pioneering demonstration center for intelligent transportation.
Since becoming the first to launch Robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi in 2021, WeRide has been deeply rooted in the Middle Eastern market for nearly four years, maintaining a leading position in local autonomous driving. Bolstered by strong technical adaptability and a proven safety record, WeRide obtained the UAE's first autonomous driving license in July 2023. This was the first national-level, full-domain, full-vehicle-category autonomous driving license in the Middle East and globally, enabling WeRide to conduct testing and operations of various autonomous vehicles on public roads throughout the UAE.
In December 2024, WeRide and Uber officially launched Robotaxi autonomous ride-hailing services in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. This marked the first time autonomous vehicles were made available on the Uber platform outside the United States, and represented the largest commercially operating Robotaxi fleet outside the US and China. This launch in Dubai signifies the formal expansion of the WeRide-Uber partnership to a second city in the Middle Eastern market.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), stated: "Our strategic partnership with Uber, with WeRide as our first technology partner, marks a critical step forward in Dubai's Autonomous Transportation Strategy. **This strategy aims to convert 25% of all trips in Dubai to autonomous mobility across multiple transport modes by 2030. This collaboration reflects RTA's firm commitment to engaging with the world's leading technology companies, and represents an important component of the autonomous mobility trial program launched in 2016, whose test scenarios have grown increasingly diverse and rich over the years."
WeRide CFO and Head of International Business Li Xuan stated: "Dubai is a natural choice for advancing our autonomous mobility services across the Middle East and our global expansion strategy. We believe that with WeRide's advanced autonomous driving technology and extensive operational experience, combined with Uber's powerful global mobility platform, we have the capability and potential to deliver quality services to millions of users worldwide."
Noah Zych, Uber's Global Head of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery Operations, stated: " We are honored to partner with the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, alongside our technology partner WeRide, to bring autonomous vehicles onto the Uber platform in Dubai. At Uber, we are working with the world's premier autonomous driving technology companies to advance the scaled commercial deployment of this technology globally and build the future of transportation. We selected WeRide as Uber's first autonomous driving technology partner in the UAE to jointly provide passengers with safe, reliable, and forward-looking mobility solutions. This aligns deeply with the UAE's ambitious vision for building smart cities and future transportation."
PAST HIGHLIGHTS
Founded in 2006, Qiming Venture Partners currently manages 11 USD funds and 7 RMB funds, with total assets under management reaching $9.5 billion. Since its inception, the firm has focused on investing in outstanding early and growth-stage companies in the Technology and Consumer (T&C) and Healthcare sectors.
To date, Qiming Venture Partners has invested in over 580 high-growth innovative companies, of which more than 210 have gone public on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and Shenzhen Stock Exchange, or exited through mergers and acquisitions. Over 80 portfolio companies have become recognized unicorns or super-unicorns.
Many Qiming Venture Partners portfolio companies have grown into the most influential companies in their respective fields, including Xiaomi (01810.HK), Meituan (03690.HK), Bilibili (NASDAQ: BILI, 09626.HK), Zhihu (NYSE: ZH, 02390.HK), Roborock (688169.SH), UBTECH (09880.HK), WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD), Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals (603087.SH), Tigermed (300347.SZ, 03347.HK), Zai Lab (NASDAQ: ZLAB, 09688.HK), CanSino Biologics (688185.SH, 06185.HK), Schrödinger (NASDAQ: SDGR), MicroPort EP MedTech (688617.SH), Sanyou Medical (688085.SH), Amoy Diagnostics (300685.SZ), Berry Genomics (000710.SZ), GenScript ProBio (688520.SH), Yuanxin Technology, ClinChoice, Belief BioMed, Biren Technology, and others.