UAE: 6 times driverless taxis, buses have transported residents and tourists

UAE: 6 times driverless taxis, buses have transported residents and tourists

Here, we chronicle the country’s successes in operating or testing autonomous vehicles

Published: Mon 25 Jul 2022, 12:18 PM

Driverless vehicles vrooming on roads is not a theoretical concept, at least in the UAE. Over the past few years, the country has successfully rolled out or tested multiple projects that have seen passengers transported safely in vehicles with no one in the driving seat.

And now, Dubai is just months away from launching its first driverless taxi and e-hail services. By 2023, Dubai will be the first city in the world to commercially operate Cruise self-driving vehicles outside the US. Two special Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles (EVs) are studying Dubai streets to create digital maps for the self-driving cabs.

The autonomous vehicle buzz has been around in the country for nearly a decade. Here, we chronicle the country’s successes in operating or testing autonomous vehicles.

1. September 2016: Zoom down Downtown Dubai

This is the first project in the region that demonstrated the safe use of driverless vehicles.

EZ10, a driverless 10-seater car, shuttled along the Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai during its trial run. With a top speed of up to 40kmph, the vehicle moved over a 700-metre track, passing through Burj Khalifa, Dubai