WeRide and Uber have formed a partnership to provide robotaxi rides in Abu Dhabi.

• WeRide and Uber have teamed up to provide a robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi.
• Human safety drivers will supervise the rides to start with.
• Before expanding to Abu Dhabi, Uber was providing tens of thousands of robotaxi rides per month in the states, a company spokesperson informed CNBC.

On Friday, it was announced that Uber is collaborating with WeRide to provide autonomous vehicle rides in Abu Dhabi.

Uber announced that each WeRide robotaxi hailed through the Uber app will have a human driver present to ensure a safe and dependable experience for riders and pedestrians. The company aims to provide a fully driverless commercial service in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2025.

The robotaxis will commence operations between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island, as well as routes to and from Zayed International Airport.

Uber's partner in the U.A.E. is a Chinese autonomous vehicle developer listed on the Nasdaq and holding permits for driverless vehicle testing and operations in Dubai, China, Singapore, and the U.S., according to its website.

In late October, during a Q3 earnings call, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced that the company has formed partnerships with over a dozen autonomous vehicle companies.

""Uber is bringing significant value to AV partners' deployment plans, as our autonomous strategy is working," he stated."

Before expanding to the U.A.E., Uber was already providing tens of thousands of autonomous vehicle rides per month in the U.S., a company spokesperson informed CNBC.

Analyst James Cordwell from Redburn Atlantic highlighted potential risks to Uber's core mobility business from autonomous vehicles in a note on Wednesday. Waymo, Uber's partner and potential competitor in the US, was specifically mentioned as a potential threat.

Cordwell wrote that the firm believes autonomy will increase the addressable market and Uber is well-positioned to be the aggregator of autonomous vehicle providers. The firm has a buy rating on Uber shares with a 2025 year-end price target of $90.