Self-driving Cruise taxis to hit Dubai’s roads in 2023

Cruise, the self-driving vehicle company backed by General Motors and Honda, will launch its first international robotaxi service outside the US in Dubai in 2023, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, said on Twitter.

“Dubai will be the first outside America to operate self-driving Cruise vehicles, in fulfilment of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision that Dubai is always in first place and the best city to live and work,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

“Our goal is to convert 25 per cent of the total ... trips in Dubai to self-driving trips through various means of transport by 2030.”

Sheikh Hamdan discussed the future of mobility with Jeff Bleich, chief legal officer of General Motors-Cruise. He also attended the signing ceremony of a strategic partnership between Cruise and the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority.

The entities aim to have a limited number of Cruise’s self-driving vehicles running in Dubai from 2023, with 4,000 vehicles on the road by 2030.

Dubai aims to reduce transport costs by Dh900 million ($245.2m) through its adoption of self-driving technology, Sheikh Hamdan said. Using these vehicles could increase the transport efficiency, help the emirate to grow revenue by Dh18bn a year and generate Dh1.5 billion in savings through a reduction of environmental pollution by 12 per cent a year, he said.

The robotaxi service in Dubai will use the Cruise Origin, an all-electric shuttle first unveiled in January last year. The vehicle has no steering wheel and seats will face each other.

The robotaxis, in Cruise’s orange and black colours, will “accommodate the needs of an individual, with personal USB ports”, the company’s chief technology officer and co-founder Kyle Vogt said at the time.

Improvements are also being made to allow it to travel at motorway speeds. The Cruise Origin is will be produced at General Motor’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant from next year.