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UAE: Robotaxis could edge out migrant South Asian drivers
This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology's impact outside the West.
The affluent Middle Eastern country is building the physical and regulatory infrastructure to attract the world's leading autonomous-vehicle technology companies. It aims to have thousands of AVs on the road in the next five years – at least one in every four trips taken in its top cities.
That goal is a potential nightmare for the 30,000 cab drivers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
“Driverless cars are the future,” Faisal Q, a Pakistani driver who has been working in the UAE for more than 30 years, told Rest of World. He asked that his last name be withheld, as he is afraid of repercussions from speaking to the media. “What about my future?”
As the UAE attempts to become the testing ground for the world's most advanced driverless technology, it will also be testing what happens when the powerful tech disrupts a largely migrant workforce.
“Large-scale displacement is inevitable for low-income jobs in the new AI and robotics-driven era,” Shahzad Sheikh, an auto industry reporter who covers cars in the Middle East, told Rest of World. “It's the harsh truth to say, ‘Tech is now coming for low-income workers.'”
The UAE's ambitious AV strategy is underpinned by strong regulatory and investment support. It wants to position itself as a global test bed for major autonomous mobility providers. The UAE is among the world's most AV-ready markets because of its proactive policy, smart infrastructure, and public-private partnerships, according to a report by consulting firm Arthur D Little.
Abu Dhabi has already overseen nearly 30,000 AV trips across 430,000 kilometres. The emirate aims to make 25% of all trips autonomous by 2040, which it projects will lead to 15% less emissions and 18% fewer accidents.
Its Smart & Autonomous Vehicle Industries Cluster, an initiative launched in 2023, will offer support with research, testing, and manufacturing facilities. It is expected to eventually create up to 50,000 jobs and contribute more than $30 billion to the country's economy by launching a new autonomous vehicle industry in the UAE.
Dubai's AV strategy is equally ambitious. It plans for 25% of all journeys in the city to be driverless by 2030 – a move expected to save $6 billion annually and nearly 400 million commuting hours.
“It's a big pilot site for different companies to come and understand the market,” Jorge Dias, a professor at Khalifa University specializing in autonomous robotic systems, told Rest of World. “The authorities are trying to open the door and test these technologies.”
Chinese AV firms like WeRide have raced ahead of their American counterparts like Tesla and Waymo to assist the UAE.
TXAI was the region's first robotaxi service when it launched in 2021. The service, operated by Emirati company Space42 in partnership with WeRide, has an AV fleet of sedans and SUVs from one of China's biggest EV makers, GAC.
In 2024, Uber partnered with WeRide to enable customers to hail AVs in Abu Dhabi. The fleet includes models like the GAC Aion LX Plus and WeRide's latest robotaxi. Unlike TXAI, Uber charges for AV rides.
Chinese tech giant Baidui's autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, has partnered with AutoGo, a UAE-based autonomous mobility firm. The companies plan to build Abu Dhabi's largest fully driverless fleet.
WeRide, which holds the UAE's first autonomous-driving test license, has begun piloting fully driverless rides without safety officers, with an eye toward commercial rollout later this year. In July, the company secured Saudi Arabia's first robotaxi permit.
In Dubai, Uber-WeRide, Apollo Go, and Pony.ai all announced collaborations with local transport authorities this year, and are preparing for rollouts in the city by 2026. Eventually, Dubai aims to deploy over 4,000 driverless taxis by 2030.
If the UAE succeeds in replacing 25% or more of its human-navigated trips with driverless solutions, thousands from its fleet of 30,000 drivers would no longer be needed. The future for taxi drivers isn't a promising one, given the high risk of automation.
The development has significant implications for South Asian migrant workers, in particular, who have historically dominated the transportation sector in the Gulf, according to Froilan Malit Jr, an expert on migration to the Middle East and a visiting scholar at American University in Dubai.
“With their pathway to middle-income [status] threatened, it will likely force a lot of them to either consider moving to other Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, or to other private transportation jobs like personal drivers,” Malit Jr told Rest of World.
The migrant drivers on Emirati roads – many of whom lack formal education and strong English-language skills – are often not aware of what might be coming. The ones who have heard of the AV plan are worried.
Wisal Khurshid, a Dubai-based Pakistani cab driver, said he heard the AV trials are a threat.
“These cars will finish our job,” Khurshid told Rest of World.
He hoped it would take time for a machine to replace drivers who've spent years learning every nook and corner of Dubai's streets. If a bot replaces him, support from an employer or the government may be limited.
“I will find another job, inshallah,” he said. “Or I go back to Pakistan.”
An AV employee, who asked to be called Mohammad, is literally sitting in the driver's seat, driving this change.
He is not an AV startup founder; he is a trainer of driverless taxis. As a “safety officer,” he remains behind the wheel in case the technology struggles and needs human intervention.
Mohammad, who declined to share his real name because he could be fired for speaking to the media, became a safety officer over three years ago. He proudly recalled being among the first to work with autonomous taxis in the Middle East.
“It's an exciting and historic experience,” he told Rest of World.
Safety officers are responsible for guiding the AVs' learning process and intervening in tasks like parking or emergencies.
“The most challenging part is identifying subtle issues in the car's behavior and staying alert during every ride,” Mohammad said.
Dias, the professor, is confident that AVs will be a net positive for the industry and workers. He describes the shift as one of “job transformation,” as large-scale AV deployment matures.
While there won't be a need for the current numbers of taxi and delivery drivers, safety officers are an example of the new jobs that are being created. Driverless vehicle firms will also need people to maintain, clean, charge, and occasionally operate the fleets remotely.
Groups like the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association have pointed to new and well-paying roles being created, including service technicians, remote assistant operators, mapping specialists, dispatchers, and terminal operators.
WeRide told Rest of World it is “committed to uplifting the local economy by creating skilled jobs and fostering a smarter, more sustainable transport system.” Its UAE regional office in Abu Dhabi includes local workers in key functions like remote monitoring and operations, the company said.
Sheikh, the auto industry reporter, doesn't think there will be enough new roles to offset the jobs that are lost.
“There will, of course, be unique new, emerging roles. But there won't be enough of them, quite frankly,” he said. “If a company has, say, a fleet of 1,000 taxis, and converts to autonomous vehicles, that's a thousand drivers it won't need.”
Amar Diwakar is a Labor x Tech reporter based in Dubai, UAE.
This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology's impact outside the West.
Source: Scroll
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