{"id":45289,"date":"2026-01-17T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/?p=45289"},"modified":"2026-01-17T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T11:00:00","slug":"baidus-apollo-go-and-k2s-autogo-commence-fully-autonomous-ride-hailing-service-on-yas-island-announce-phased-expansion-across-abu-dhabi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/?p=45289","title":{"rendered":"Baidu&#8217;s Apollo Go and K2&#8217;s AutoGo Commence Fully Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service on Yas Island, Announce Phased Expansion Across Abu Dhabi"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Having secured the fully driverless commercial permit in <span><span class=\"xn-chron\">mid-November 2025<\/span><\/span>, the partners have launched fully autonomous ride-hailing service via the AutoGo app.<\/li>\n<li>Initial operations cover <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, with phased expansion planned for Reem, Al Maryah, and Saadiyat Islands.<\/li>\n<li>The launch marks a critical step toward the partners&#8217; goal of deploying hundreds of vehicles by 2026 and building <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> largest fully driverless fleet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">ABU DHABI<\/span>, UAE<\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">Jan. 17, 2026<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212; Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: <b><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/baidus-apollo-go-and-k2s-autogo-announce-fleet-expansion-plan-in-abu-dhabi-winning-one-of-the-emirates-inaugural-fully-driverless-commercial-permits-302611516.html#financial-modal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">BIDU<\/a><\/u><\/b> and HKEX: 9888) today announced that its autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, and AutoGo, a leading UAE-based autonomous mobility company, have officially launched the fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the emirate. The launch of the service, now available via the AutoGo app, marks a major milestone in the commercialization of autonomous driving in the <span class=\"xn-location\">Middle East<\/span>. The service has launched initially on <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, where users in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span> can now download the app to hail fully driverless rides.<\/p>\n<p>The collaboration between Baidu&#8217;s Apollo Go and K2&#8217;s AutoGo began in March <span>2025<\/span>, when they announced the partnership to build <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> largest fully driverless fleet. Building on that momentum, the companies secured one of the inaugural permits for fully driverless commercial operation in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span> in\u00a0<span><span class=\"xn-chron\">mid-November 2025<\/span><\/span> and signed a next-phase agreement to scale the fleet to hundreds of vehicles by 2026. With the service now available to the general public through the\u00a0AutoGo app, the partners are actively advancing their goal of establishing the emirate&#8217;s largest fully driverless fleet.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Moving from an initial partnership agreement to launching live, fully driverless operations for the public in a span of just a few months is a remarkable milestone,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Liang Zhang<\/span>, Managing Director of EMEA at Baidu Apollo. &#8220;This speed of execution highlights the technical readiness of Apollo Go, the strong operational capabilities of our partnership, and the steadfast support of local regulatory bodies.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;AutoGo&#8217;s transition to live robotaxi operations marks an important milestone in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> autonomous mobility journey,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Sean Teo<\/span>, Managing Director of K2. &#8220;Launching the service at the start of the year reflects our focus on execution and long-term value creation. By introducing robotaxi services in real urban environments and scaling across key districts, we are moving decisively from development to deployment\u2014delivering autonomy that is practical, safe, and ready for everyday use.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The initial operation covers <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, a premier leisure and entertainment hub in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span>, now designated as a permitted zone for fully driverless operations. This service allows users to simply download the AutoGo app, request a ride, and experience a journey in a vehicle with no human driver behind the wheel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"PRN_ImbeddedAssetReference\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mma.prnasia.com\/media2\/2863417\/The_AutoGo_app_open_public_users.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnasia.com\/media2\/2863417\/The_AutoGo_app_open_public_users.jpg?p=medium600\" title=\"The AutoGo app, now open to public users\" alt=\"The AutoGo app, now open to public users\" \/><\/a><br \/><span>The AutoGo app, now open to public users<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Following the initial launch <span>on<\/span> <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, the service will implement a phased geographic <span>roll-out<\/span> across <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span>. The expansion will begin with\u00a0Reem Island, <span class=\"xn-person\">Al Maryah Island<\/span>, and Saadiyat Island. Over time, the service will continue to expand across additional areas, with the long-term objective of operating across the wider <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span> emirate.<\/p>\n<p>Apollo Go&#8217;s rapid expansion into the UAE is backed by its industry-leading autonomous driving technology and proven real-world operational expertise. As a leading autonomous ride\u2011hailing service provider globally, Apollo Go has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometers, of which over 140 million kilometers were completed in fully driverless mode. With a global footprint across 22 cities, Apollo Go&#8217;s weekly ride count has recently surpassed 250,000, and the service has completed more than 17 million cumulative rides as of <span class=\"xn-chron\">October 31, 2025<\/span>. Looking ahead, Apollo Go and AutoGo will scale fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing services to reach more users and advance <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> smart city vision.<\/p>\n<p><b>About Baidu<br \/><\/b>Founded in 2000, Baidu&#8217;s mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under &#8220;BIDU&#8221; and HKEX under &#8220;9888.&#8221; One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.<\/p>\n<p class=\"prntal\">Media Contact<br \/><a href=\"mailto:intlcomm@baidu.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><b>intlcomm@baidu.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"PRN_ImbeddedAssetReference\">  <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><!-- wp:html --><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Having secured the fully driverless commercial permit in <span><span class=\"xn-chron\">mid-November 2025<\/span><\/span>, the partners have launched fully autonomous ride-hailing service via the AutoGo app.<\/li>\n<li>Initial operations cover <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, with phased expansion planned for Reem, Al Maryah, and Saadiyat Islands.<\/li>\n<li>The launch marks a critical step toward the partners&#8217; goal of deploying hundreds of vehicles by 2026 and building <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> largest fully driverless fleet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">ABU DHABI<\/span>, UAE<\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">Jan. 17, 2026<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212; Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: <b><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/baidus-apollo-go-and-k2s-autogo-announce-fleet-expansion-plan-in-abu-dhabi-winning-one-of-the-emirates-inaugural-fully-driverless-commercial-permits-302611516.html#financial-modal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">BIDU<\/a><\/u><\/b> and HKEX: 9888) today announced that its autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, and AutoGo, a leading UAE-based autonomous mobility company, have officially launched the fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the emirate. The launch of the service, now available via the AutoGo app, marks a major milestone in the commercialization of autonomous driving in the <span class=\"xn-location\">Middle East<\/span>. The service has launched initially on <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, where users in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span> can now download the app to hail fully driverless rides.<\/p>\n<p>The collaboration between Baidu&#8217;s Apollo Go and K2&#8217;s AutoGo began in March <span>2025<\/span>, when they announced the partnership to build <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> largest fully driverless fleet. Building on that momentum, the companies secured one of the inaugural permits for fully driverless commercial operation in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span> in\u00a0<span><span class=\"xn-chron\">mid-November 2025<\/span><\/span> and signed a next-phase agreement to scale the fleet to hundreds of vehicles by 2026. With the service now available to the general public through the\u00a0AutoGo app, the partners are actively advancing their goal of establishing the emirate&#8217;s largest fully driverless fleet.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Moving from an initial partnership agreement to launching live, fully driverless operations for the public in a span of just a few months is a remarkable milestone,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Liang Zhang<\/span>, Managing Director of EMEA at Baidu Apollo. &#8220;This speed of execution highlights the technical readiness of Apollo Go, the strong operational capabilities of our partnership, and the steadfast support of local regulatory bodies.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;AutoGo&#8217;s transition to live robotaxi operations marks an important milestone in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> autonomous mobility journey,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Sean Teo<\/span>, Managing Director of K2. &#8220;Launching the service at the start of the year reflects our focus on execution and long-term value creation. By introducing robotaxi services in real urban environments and scaling across key districts, we are moving decisively from development to deployment\u2014delivering autonomy that is practical, safe, and ready for everyday use.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The initial operation covers <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, a premier leisure and entertainment hub in <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span>, now designated as a permitted zone for fully driverless operations. This service allows users to simply download the AutoGo app, request a ride, and experience a journey in a vehicle with no human driver behind the wheel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"PRN_ImbeddedAssetReference\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mma.prnasia.com\/media2\/2863417\/The_AutoGo_app_open_public_users.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnasia.com\/media2\/2863417\/The_AutoGo_app_open_public_users.jpg?p=medium600\" title=\"The AutoGo app, now open to public users\" alt=\"The AutoGo app, now open to public users\" \/><\/a><br \/><span>The AutoGo app, now open to public users<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Following the initial launch <span>on<\/span> <span class=\"xn-person\">Yas Island<\/span>, the service will implement a phased geographic <span>roll-out<\/span> across <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span>. The expansion will begin with\u00a0Reem Island, <span class=\"xn-person\">Al Maryah Island<\/span>, and Saadiyat Island. Over time, the service will continue to expand across additional areas, with the long-term objective of operating across the wider <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi<\/span> emirate.<\/p>\n<p>Apollo Go&#8217;s rapid expansion into the UAE is backed by its industry-leading autonomous driving technology and proven real-world operational expertise. As a leading autonomous ride\u2011hailing service provider globally, Apollo Go has logged more than 240 million autonomous kilometers, of which over 140 million kilometers were completed in fully driverless mode. With a global footprint across 22 cities, Apollo Go&#8217;s weekly ride count has recently surpassed 250,000, and the service has completed more than 17 million cumulative rides as of <span class=\"xn-chron\">October 31, 2025<\/span>. Looking ahead, Apollo Go and AutoGo will scale fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing services to reach more users and advance <span class=\"xn-location\">Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/span> smart city vision.<\/p>\n<p><b>About Baidu<br \/><\/b>Founded in 2000, Baidu&#8217;s mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under &#8220;BIDU&#8221; and HKEX under &#8220;9888.&#8221; One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.<\/p>\n<p class=\"prntal\">Media Contact<br \/><a href=\"mailto:intlcomm@baidu.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><b>intlcomm@baidu.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"PRN_ImbeddedAssetReference\">  <\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:html --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45289\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}