Introduction

Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority in Dubai has reaffirmed its aim to make a quarter of transport services self-driving by 2030. In the past year, Dubai has introduced self-driving taxis to its fleet with the first tests being completed of its new self-driving Chevrolet Bolt vehicles in the Jumeirah area. Tests required a safety driver to remain behind the wheel and no passengers were allowed in the cars initially. Dubai was the first city outside the USA to operate a self-driving Chevrolet.

Goals and Strategy

The plan is for Dubai to eventually have 4,000 driverless taxis on its roads which is believed to ease traffic, cut emissions and lead to fewer accidents. While 25 percent of transport becoming self-driving in just six years does sound ambitious, Mattar Al Tayer, director-general of the board of executive directors of the RTA, points out that 9.4 percent of transportation is currently self-driving. The main modes of transport targeted for the self-driving switch are the metro, buses and taxis – not yet the new aerial taxis being introduced.