Saudi Arabia Aims for 15% Of Public Vehicles To Be Autonomous by 2030

Saudi Arabia Aims for 15% Of Public Vehicles To Be Autonomous by 2030

Saudi Arabia aims to have 15 per cent of its public transport vehicles as autonomous by 2030, as the kingdom seeks to be a leader in the future generation of transport, an official has said.

The kingdom has also set a target of converting a quarter of goods transport vehicles into AVs by the start of the next decade, Omaimah Bamasag, deputy of transport enablement at the Transport General Authority, said in the latest edition of Arthur D Little’s Autonomous Mobility Journal.

The future generation of transport in Saudi Arabia is primarily taking shape in its mega developments — Neom, the $500 billion futuristic mega-city, and the luxury resort-laden Red Sea Project.

“The kingdom’s goals for AV transport are very ambitious and can be seen from the giant projects based on autonomy”, Ms Bamasag said.

“These smart cities are designed to be sustainable through the introduction of new transport systems for passengers and goods based entirely on autonomous mobility.”

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, is in the midst of implementing its Vision 2030 strategy, its major economic diversification programme in which technology is key.

Mega-projects in the kingdom have made moves to use autonomous mobility in their respective locations, including forging partnerships.

In December 2021,