A trial to test Chevrolet Bolt-based autonomous vehicles has been launched by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and self-driving technology company Cruise in the Jumeirah 1 area of the United Arab Emirates’ largest city.
This is the first time the RTA has issued a permit for the testing of autonomous vehicles in Dubai. A partnership between Cruise and the RTA will enable the US mobility company to operate AVs for taxi and e-hailing services in Dubai in the future.
During a recent trip to San Francisco, RTA’s technical team used the AVs to travel around, which Cruise states “confirmed the RTA’s confidence in Cruise’s technology”.
The permit follows successful data collection and testing on closed test tracks. In the new trial, Cruise will validate the autonomous driving safety and performance of the AVs in Dubai, as well as the compatibility of the AVs with the digital and physical infrastructure in Jumeirah 1.
Initial stages of the testing will include a safety driver, who will be present to track the performance of the autonomous technology, especially during critical traffic situations.
It is the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, to convert 25% of the city’s trips to autonomy by 2030.