25 per cent of Vehicles in Dubai to be Driverless by 2030

Driverless vehicles, though a novelty at the moment are soon slated to become the norm. In Singapore, driverless taxis hailed through a smartphone app are now picking up passengers, which are operated by the driverless vehicle startup nuTonomy in a pilot project. The UAE is not too far behind and in fact has more wide ranging plans when it comes to driverless cars.

The country has made a start by operating driverless vehicles to ferry people around Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, This was tried out by His Highness Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council recently. He also tried out another driverless vehicle, a 10-seater which can be driven over short distances to cover pre-programmed routes, at the UITP MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition 2016 in April.

In April 2016, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced that by 2030, 25 percent of vehicles in the Dubai will be driverless. He said that Dubai is poised to emerge as a global leader in making a qualitative paradigm shift to utilize artificial intelligence to serve humanity and to serve as a role model for future cities.

According to Shaikh Mohammed, driverless vehicles will not only minimize the potential for human error but will also have a significant impact on the economy and the daily lives of the people in Dubai as the emirate can save AED 900 million in transportation costs. When it comes to time, people can save 396 million hours on the road, and reduce road accidents and related economic losses by 12 percent.

A video released by the Dubai Future Foundation in April, envisioned a future in which UAE residents board driverless taxis that can navigate on their own. In another major development, ride-hailing operator Careem had announced in July that it will be collaborating with the NEXT Future Foundation to develop and bring battery-powered, self-driving electric pods to the region.The company hopes to bring these to Dubai roads by 2030. They can be driven either individually or can be attached to other pods to form a structure similar to a bus in which riders can easily move between the pods.

When it comes to public perception, a recent study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group found that 70 percent of the public in the UAE are receptive to the idea of travelling in a driverless car, as compared to 58 percent globally. Another 79 percent said they’d be open to “partially self-driving” cars.