Autonomous driving technology company WeRide has achieved a major milestone with the announcement that it has secured Saudi Arabia’s first autonomous driving permit for its Robotaxi service. The permit positions WeRide as the only autonomous technology firm with certified operations in six countries: Saudi Arabia, China, the UAE, Singapore, France, and the United States.
The approval enables WeRide to deploy its Robotaxi fleet across Saudi Arabia, beginning with a pilot programme in Riyadh operated in partnership with Uber and local mobility player Ai Driver. The pilot covers high-traffic routes including King Khalid International Airport and key city centre locations.
A full commercial rollout of Robotaxi services is scheduled for launch by the end of 2025.
The official permit ceremony was attended by His Excellency Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and Chairman of the Transport General Authority (TGA), as well as Jennifer Li, CFO and Head of International at WeRide, and other senior officials.
WeRide is the first AV technology firm to successfully complete the Transport General Authority’s Regulatory Sandbox for AV Piloting. The extensive process included multi-agency evaluations, performance tests, and safety validations.
“This permit marks a major step in our global expansion, enabling us to scale Robotaxi services and unlock new commercial opportunities in Saudi Arabia,” said Jennifer Li. “We thank the TGA for supporting our vision for safer, smarter transportation at scale.”
WeRide first entered the Saudi market in May 2025 and has since trialled its Robobus in locations including King Fahad Medical City, Aramco residential communities, AlUla, and the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh. It has also introduced the Robosweeper S1 at King Fahad Medical City, in what is reported to be the first monetised autonomous sanitation project in the Middle East.
Regionally, WeRide is also conducting fully driverless Robotaxi testing in Abu Dhabi and plans to launch in Dubai in the coming months.
