Khaleej Times

Driverless car starts trial run in Sustainabl­e City at Dubailand

- Staff Reporter reporters@khaleejtim­es.com

dubai — Dubai has taken another step towards getting a full-fledged driverless vehicle service operation. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched phase four of the Driverless Vehicles Project at the Sustainabl­e City at Dubailand over a track extending 1.25km. The step is a part of the RTA’s efforts to boost the Dubai Government Strategy to raise the share of autonomous transport to as much as 25 per cent of public transport means by 2030.

“The trial run of the autonomous vehicle has started in the Sustainabl­e City following three stages of successful test runs. The new phase will continue until the end of this September. Through these trials, the RTA is seeking to familiaris­e the public with driverless vehicles technology and the Dubai Driverless Mobility Strategy,” said Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency and chairman of Smart and Sustainabl­e Transport Committee.

The smart vehicle, which was manufactur­ed by EasyMile Company, can accommodat­e eight riders. It travels on short distances on pre-programmed routes under multi-user environmen­ts. It moves on virtual tracks that can be configured easily to make abrupt changes to meet demand. The vehicle is fitted with all safety requisites and controls of the pre-planned routes, along with sensors and smart mon-

The RTA is seeking to familiaris­e the public with driverless vehicles technology and the Dubai Driverless Mobility Strategy.” Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency

itoring systems to cope with any obstacles and avoid collision.

“The latest trial run is part of the MoU signed recently with Diamond Developers Company, the developer of the Sustainabl­e City project. It is part of RTA’s efforts to forge agreements with public and private entities towards making the smart mobility strategy a ground reality,” added Bahrozyan.

Transporta­tion is one of the key sectors generating gas emissions contributi­ng to the global warming.

Faris Saeed, CEO of Diamond Developers Company, said: “The introducti­on of driverless vehicles in Sustainabl­e City is a future step towards using the smartest public transport means.”

 ?? Supplied photo ?? Through the trial run, the RTA is aiming at familiaris­ing the public with driverless vehicles. —
Supplied photo Through the trial run, the RTA is aiming at familiaris­ing the public with driverless vehicles. —
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