WeRide, an autonomous driving startup located in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town), recently announced its entry into the Saudi Arabian market, with its three products simultaneously being implemented, laying the foundation for subsequent large-scale commercial operations throughout Saudi Arabia.

WeRide's Robotaxi in Riyadh

With the support of the Transport General Authority (TGA) in Saudi Arabia, WeRide will launch Robotaxi trial operations on the Uber platform in the coming months and plans to conduct comprehensive commercial Robotaxi operations in Saudi Arabia by 2025. By introducing innovative mobility solutions driven by autonomous driving technology, WeRide will help improve road safety and optimize transportation management in multiple cities in Saudi Arabia. This initiative aims to support Saudi Arabia's "2030 Vision", promoting the development of intelligent and sustainable urban clusters in the country.

WeRide's Robotaxi in AlUla

At the same time, WeRide has been testing and deploying Robobuses in several key areas in Saudi Arabia, including King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, Aramco employee community, AlUla, and Ritz-Carlton Hotel, forming a smooth shuttle link connecting parks, scenic spots, and urban area.

Leveraging L4-level autonomous driving technology, WeRide's Robobuses can perform well even in the local hot weather, making them suitable for areas where traditional transportation methods are difficult to cover or reach. They complement the newly opened Riyadh metro, enhancing the overall travel experience for citizens while meeting the rapidly growing travel needs of international visitors in the area, and addressing the "last mile" transportation challenge.

WeRide's unmanned street sweeping robot Robosweeper S1at King Fahad Medical City

Notably, WeRide's unmanned street sweeping robot Robosweeper S1 has started operations at the King Fahd Medical City, a part of the second medical cluster in Riyadh. This is the first commercial unmanned driving sanitation project in Saudi Arabia and even in the Middle East region.

King Fahad Medical City is the largest medical complex in the Middle East, covering an area of 500,000 square meters, including four hospitals and 107 primary healthcare centers, encompassing medical, residential, commercial, and logistics areas with high daily human and vehicular traffic. Additionally, the architectural structure of King Fahad Medical City is very complex, with corridors and courtyards interlaced. The Robosweeper equipped with an L4 level autonomous driving system can easily handle such dense and complex scenarios, providing stable and reliable unmanned driving cleaning services for the area.

WeRide is promoting the establishment of a global R&D center in Beijing E-Town to support the globalization and commercialization of China's autonomous driving industry. This expansion into the Saudi Arabian commercial landscape signifies a further deepening of the company's global layout. Moving forward, with the advancement of WeRide's strategic cooperation with Uber, the plan is to add Robotaxi services in 15 new international cities over the next five years, including markets in Europe, the Middle East, and other international regions.