Uber & Baidu Expand Deal for Dubai AV Rides: Is the Space Heating Up?

Uber Technologies UBER and China’s Baidu BIDU, in collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, announced the next stage of their global partnership, introducing the Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing service to the Uber platform in Dubai.

The rollout, expected to begin in the coming month, will initially cover select locations in the Jumeirah area. Expansion across the city will follow, subject to operational performance and regulatory approvals. The initiative supports Dubai’s strategic objective of converting 25% of all transportation trips to autonomous mobility by 2030.

Within the designated service zones, riders using the Uber app may be matched with a fully driverless Apollo Go vehicle when booking UberX or Uber Comfort. Users will also have the option to choose an “Autonomous” ride directly through the app.

The Dubai deployment builds on expansion plans announced last December to introduce the service in London, thus marking entry into a right-hand-drive market. It also follows the January inauguration of Apollo Go Park in Dubai, the company’s first overseas operations and management hub, underscoring the emirate’s role in Baidu’s international growth strategy.

Apollo Go has established itself as one of the world’s leading autonomous ride-hailing platforms. The service has accumulated more than 240 million autonomous kilometers globally, including over 140 million kilometers in fully driverless mode. Operating across 22 cities, Apollo Go now facilitates more than 250,000 rides per week and completed over 17 million rides cumulatively as of Oct. 31, 2025.

The collaboration with Baidu is in line with Uber's partnership-driven strategy in the AV space. By collaborating with multiple technology leaders, Uber has avoided the heavy R&D expenses tied to in-house AV development while still advancing its automation goals.  

We remind investors that in December 2025, Uber teamed up with another Chinese company, WeRide WRD, to launch robotaxi passenger rides in Dubai on the Uber app.  The companies partnered with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to launch the Dubai robotaxi service. Following the launch, WeRide robotaxis are accessible through the Uber app in areas like Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, two of Dubai’s most popular tourist districts near public beaches. Uber and WeRide’s robotaxi launch in Dubai came soon after the launch in another UAE city, Abu Dhabi. 

UBER’s Share Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Shares of UBER have declined over the past year. Due to the downbeat performance, UBER’s shares have underperformed the Zacks Internet-Services industry over the same time frame.

1-Year Price Comparison

From a valuation standpoint, UBER trades at a 12-month forward price-to-sales of 2.56X. UBER is inexpensive compared with its industry.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for full-year 2026 and 2027 earnings per share has declined in the past 30 days.

UBER's Zacks Rank

UBER currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.  

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