Image courtesy: Uber Technologies
WeRide and Uber Technologies announced on Tuesday an expansion of their strategic partnership to deploy autonomous vehicles in 15 additional cities over the next five years, marking one of the largest collaborations of its kind in the sector.
The rollout, which includes cities across multiple continents including Europe, will build on successful pilots in Abu Dhabi and an imminent launch in Dubai. The companies confirmed that all new markets will be outside the US and China.
Under the partnership, WeRide will provide its Robotaxi technology, while Uber will manage fleet operations.
The services will be accessible via the Uber app in each city.
Uber and WeRide eye global expansion
“We are excited to take our partnership with Uber to new heights,” said Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide. “This expansion aligns with WeRide’s ambitious strategy for global growth – to make autonomous driving solutions more affordable and accessible to people worldwide.”
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the agreement represents “a significant milestone towards realising the promise of autonomous mobility in more places around the world,” and highlighted the role of Uber’s global scale and operational expertise in commercialising autonomous vehicle technology.
The announcement reinforces both companies’ shared vision of accelerating the global adoption of autonomous transportation solutions.
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