Dubai to Introduce Self-Driving Vehicles for Commercial Use

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, witnessed the signing of an agreement between RTA and Cruise, a leading self-driving vehicle company based in the US, which operates autonomous and ride-hailing taxis and transportation services in the emirate. The deal will make Dubai the first non-US city in the world where Cruise will commercially operate these vehicles.

The deployment of these self-driving vehicles is expected to significantly improve road safety levels as over 90% of accidents are due to human errors.

Dubai Set to Introduce Self-Driving Vehicles for Commercial Use
Credits: Hamdan.ae

Soon, Dubai to Deploy Self-Driving Vehicles for Commercial Use

Moreover, the all-electric vehicles are environmentally-friendly and capable of serving a wide range of clients from different community segments, including seniors and people of determination.

This agreement will support Dubai’s 2030 vision for self-driving technology, as part of which the emirate seeks to reduce transportation costs by AED900 million a year and save AED1.5 billion a year by reducing environmental pollution by 12 per cent, as well as generate AED18 billion in annual economic returns by increasing the efficiency of the transportation sector in Dubai.

According to Sheikh Hamdan, “This agreement, which is the first of its kind worldwide between a government entity and a leading developer of autonomous vehicles, and autonomous vehicle technology, is a major step towards realising Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy aimed at converting 25% of total trips in Dubai into self-driving transport trips across different modes of transport by 2030.”

Self-driving vehicles will bring a fundamental shift in transportation and offer innovative solutions for mobility and congestion in the city. The introduction and operation of the vehicles will be gradual and begin in specific areas, scaling as the community experiences their safety and benefits first-hand. The vehicle will be fitted with state-of-the-art sensors to monitor road conditions, and controls to avoid collision with any objects – even with those the human eye cannot see,” he further added.

For his part, His Excellency Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA said that the operation of self-driving taxis will enhance the integration between transit means, which will ease the mobility of public transport riders and simplify the process of being transported to their final destinations.

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