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Uber Technologies has announced a cool new way to get around Abu Dhabi with the introduction of self-driving vehicles coming soon. Uber, the ride-hailing company, has teamed up with China's WeRide to launch the cars on its app later this year.

WeRide vehicles will be made available to passengers who can opt for an autonomous ride on the app or still choose a human driver. 

WeRide was granted a UAE national-level license for self-driving vehicles and was given approval to conduct various road testing and operations of autonomous driving vehicles in the UAE.

WeRide's first collaboration with a global ride-hailing platform will help the company expand its reach beyond China, while Uber takes another towards incorporating robotaxis into its platform.

The partnership agreement was signed by Andrew Macdonald, Senior Vice President of Mobility & Business operations of Uber, and Hua Zhong, Senior Vice President of WeRide. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and WeRide Founder and CEO Tony Han witnessed the signing ceremony of the agreement.

Uber has already teamed up with Alphabet's Waymo to bring driverless taxis to the United States, with plans to roll out to Austin and Atlanta.

WeRide had intended to list its shares in the US, valuing the firm up to $5 billion, but its public offering has been delayed due to documentation issues.

Han said: “We are honored to partner with Uber to continue to bring our technology to global markets. Together, we aim to combine our collective experience and expertise to deliver much needed, affordable, sustainable and safe mobility solutions to a global audience.”

Khosrowshahi added: “Uber is very excited to partner with WeRide. It’s clear that the future of mobility will be increasingly shared, electric, and autonomous, and we look forward to working with leading AV companies like WeRide to help bring the benefits of autonomous technology to cities around the world.”

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