Driverless vehicles arrive in Dubai; find out where you can spot one

Don’t be alarmed if you spot a vehicle rolling down Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard with no person in the driver’s seat.

The future has accelerated into Dubai as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with Emaar Properties, is starting the trial run of the first autonomous on public roads

The 10-seater car will be shuttling from today over a 700-meter long track in the Downtown Dubai area.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA said: “The trial run of the smart vehicle at the Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard represented the phase one of this technology.

“This experiment is also part of RTA’s plan to test driverless transit technology under the climatic environment of Dubai.”

He continued: “Through this trial run of the smart vehicle, RTA intends to educate the public about autonomous cars technology and the experimental use of the technology in Dubai’s climatic conditions.

“The experience also elucidates the smart driverless mobility strategy launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, aimed at switching 25 per cent of total mobility journeys in Dubai into driverless journeys using various transit means by 2030.

“It also aims to screen the views and responses of residents and visitors about the driverless mobility experience using a survey measuring satisfaction rating."

Al Tayer explained the ‘Driverless’ vehicle is produced by Easy Mile/Omnix Company to travel short distances over pre-programmed routes in multi-use environments.

The vehicle travels on virtual routes, which can easily be reset to accommodate sudden changes as required.

The vehicle is fitted with all safety requisites and controls specifying its planned route.

The sensor system, as well as the intelligent system of the vehicle, enable coping with any obstacles encountered en route to avoid collision.