São Paulo – The technology company WeRide announced this Monday (28) that it has been granted a permit to operate robotaxis in Saudi Arabia. WeRide said this allows it to operate an autonomous, i.e., driverless vehicle business across the country.
The company said it is piloting the business in Riyadh with Uber and local partner Ai Driver. The pilot covers King Khalid International Airport and other key locations in Riyadh, as well as major highways and selected city center destinations. WeRide also said full-scale service will be available by the end of 2025 through a partnership with Uber.
WeRide, which calls itself the world leader in autonomous driving, said its license is the first of its kind in Saudi, which makes it the only tech company in the world licensed to operate in six different countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, France, and the United States.
WeRide’s robotaxi permit was issued at a ceremony last week, attended by the minister of transport and logistics services and chairman of the Transport General Authority (TGA), Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, WeRide’s CFO and head of international, Jennifer Li, and other Saudi senior officials.
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