Dubai has lofty goals for being the innovative transport city of tomorrow

DUBAI – Transportation authorities here in the largest city in the United Arab Emirates are working on a novel solution for businesspeople stuck in traffic jams: Flying, driverless drone taxis that will swoop in and swiftly take them to their destinations.

Dubai is looking at approving use of an autonomous drone that will carry one passenger short distances. The battery-powered flying taxi – built by Chinese drone maker Ehang Inc. – could be available for booking through an app as soon as this year, depending on how tests go, Dubai's transportation authority says.

The drone taxi has space for one person and a suitcase only. It flies typically at around 60 miles an hour and is linked to a control center on the ground. In case of emergency, the drone will land immediately in the nearest safe space. Dubai's authorities say that they have already examined the drone prototype and that it would be controlled through 4G mobile Internet.

"Eventually, the drone will be the method of transport for human be- ings," says Mohammed al-Gergawi, the United Arab Emirates minister of cabinet affairs and the future. "Science fiction is going to happen," he says.

The drone taxi is part of an ambitious effort by Dubai to be on the cutting edge of new transportation technologies, from passenger drones to a transit system that in theory could travel near the speed of sound. The goal is both to improve connectivity and boost the emirate's growing reputation as a global trade and tourism hub. As Persian Gulf countries facing lower oil revenues struggle to diversify their economies, Dubai hopes to strengthen its credentials as the region's center for finance, tourism and transportation.

"You cannot resist the changes that are going to happen in the future," Mr. Gergawi says. "Either you move and create the future, or it will be imposed on you."

The city already has the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building; palmshaped, artificial islands off its coast; and, more recently, a canal that meanders under the city's main highway. It is constructing the world's biggest airport and has started work on a new tower that will exceed the Burj Khalifa in height. The drive to attract transportation innovators may represent a a new stage in the emirate's push to grab part of the future for itself.

"There's a transition in Dubai from being consumers of innovation to be producers of innovation," says Hazem Galal, a partner at PwC and the global leader of its consulting business for cities and local governments.

Besides low taxes and an enviable location between East and West, Dubai offers tech companies a businessfriendly environment where red tape is limited and regulations can be easily modified for prototypes. "We decided that we are going to be the world's largest lab," says Mr. Gergawi.

In addition to drone taxis, the emirate plans to test self-driving vehicles. Tesla, Inc., whose chief executive, Elon Musk, is a key backer of autonomous technology, launched its electric cars in Dubai earlier this year. Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has set a target of making a quarter of domestic transport trips smart and driverless by 2030, which could generate $6 billion a year in savings and economic benefits, Dubai officials say. (WSJ)