THE future of autonomous transportation is taking shape in Dubai as the trial for self-driving cars begins in the Jumeirah 1 area.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) partnered with self-driving technology company Cruise to start testing soon-to-launch driverless taxis in the city this week.
The company has been issued with the first permit to trial autonomous vehicles (AV) in Dubai.
RTA and Cruise already have a partnership in place to provide driverless taxi and e-hailing services around the city in the future.
The initial stages of the trial are being held on open roads with a safety driver present.
First passenger rides are set to start in December 2023.
Driverless cars have gained significant popularity in the UAE as they come with various added benefits like reduced pollution, accidents, and traffic.
Based on widespread research, more than 90 percent of accidents are due to human errors.
The UAE is the first country to grant a nationwide license for self-driving cars on its roads.
In July 2023, the UAE granted Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide the first national license to test all kinds of self-driving vehicles such as Robotaxis, Robobuses, Robovans, and Robosweepers.
The company aims to have hundreds of these vehicles running across UAE’s roads by 2025.
The UAE has plans to make self-driving vehicles mainstream as early as 2030, with a fleet of 4,000 vehicles to roam the streets of Dubai in that same year.
