A senior official at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has confirmed that ten self-driving taxis will be deployed for public use in the Jumeirah area by the end of this year, with fares comparable to limo taxis.
According to Khaled Al Awadhi, RTA’s director of Transportation Systems, Public Transport Agency, the RTA will add more autonomous taxis in the same area next year, with the goal of gradually deploying 4,000 driverless cabs across Dubai by 2030. “The fare has not yet been finalised, but it will be comparable to what limo taxis currently charge, which are typically 30% higher than regular taxis in Dubai.”
“The self-driving taxi can seat up to three passengers in the back, with no passengers allowed in the front,” Al Awadhi said over the phone on Wednesday night, following the RTA’s announcement that US-based self-driving technology company Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors (GM), has begun digital mapping of the Jumeirah 1 area.