Driverless cars, boats key to Dubai’s 2030 strategy
Plans will cut demand for parking by half and reduce spending on transport by 44%
One in four journeys in Dubai will be driverless by 2030, under the government’s plans.
And this goal will be achieved by fully autonomous buses, the metro, boats, trams, taxis and even autonomous aircraft.
Behind the push to make Dubai the world’s leader in autonomous transport is the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the emirate’s transport regulator.
“The Government of Dubai is leading the transition to driverless mobility in Dubai,” Mattar Al Tayer, the RTA’s directorgeneral and chairman, said in a speech at the World Government Summit.
“Whereas in other cities and countries, it is the private sector that leads the process.”
Instead of being merely plans on paper, the RTA chief said that some of Dubai’s public transport goals were well under way.
Last year, 8.8 per cent of journeys in Dubai were made on the driverless Dubai Metro — more than 600,000 riders every day. The RTA expects that number to reach 12.2 per cent by 2030.
Operating alongside the metro is the Dubai Tram, which will in the future be fully driverless.
By 2030 6.4 per cent of journeys will also be made by driverless buses.
“Dubai has also started the test run of driverless minibuses, vehicles and boats, besides considering the options of deploying driverless express shuttle buses, and taxis from some leading companies,” said Al Tayer.
The RTA’s strategy the involvement of includes “global competition” to draw in cutting-edge companies that deal with driverless transport. More details on this will be announced shortly, according to the transport body.
Autonomous mobility
In total, Dubai’s autonomous mobility strategy is expecting to generate Dh22 billion per year, reduce mobility spending by 44 per cent, and curb demand for parking by 50 per cent.
As well as water, roads and rail, the RTA also plans to take to the skies — by as early as this July.
In cooperation with Chinese firm EHANG, the transport body is currently testing an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV).
Soaring on eight propellers, the aircraft carries one passenger for up to 30 minutes at a speed of 100 km/h.
“The AAV on display at the World Government Summit is not just a model but it has really flown in Dubai skies,” said Al Tayer.
“RTA will spare no effort to launch the AAV in July 2017.”
Governments around the world have spent more than Dh2.2 billion to support research related to driverless vehicles — a figure that does not include investments by private firms.
There are five levels of driverless mobility, according to a US system of ranking. Level 1 means that the vehicle can stop by itself when approaching an obstacle. Meanwhile, Level 5 means the vehicle is completely autonomous — so no human intervention is needed at all.
Most commercially available technologies put the level of autonomy at about Level 3.
This means that a vehicle can be operated without a driver for limited periods in normal circumstances, but still needs human intervention under certain conditions.
Driverless transport faces four key challenges, both in Dubai and worldwide, Al Tayer told the audience at the summit.
These are: Infrastructure, which includes high-quality maps; and road markings; laws and legislation; safety and public acceptance; and technological requirements such as the efficiency of sensors and cameras. Driverless cars on the roads could make some users uneasy, Al Tayer warned.
“Ordinary users may not be satisfied, particularly when the driverless vehicles share the same routes as ordinary ones,” he said. DUBAI’S TRANSPORT STRATEGY IN NUMBERS