Dubai’s driverless taxis on show at Gitex before 2023 introduction

Self-driving electric taxis — set to be on Dubai’s roads next year — will go on display at the Gitex technology exhibition, which opens on Monday.

The driverless cars will be shown off by the Roads and Transport Authority during the five-day Gitex Global event at the World Trade Centre in Dubai.

The Cruise Origin vehicle will be introduced as a taxi service next year, making Dubai among the first cities, apart from some in the US, to include self-driving cars in its transport offerings.

As part of a public-private partnership with US company Cruise, two Chevrolet Bolt electric cars equipped with cameras and sensors have already mapped out the streets of the Jumeirah neighbourhood.

The RTA said in August that rigorous testing would be carried out before adding the self-driving taxis to its fleet.

The high-resolution map of the physical environment in Jumeirah that began earlier this year used Cruise’s technology to collect data that would be continuously updated.

يأتي تنفيذاً لتوجيهات صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم نائب رئيس الدولة رئيس مجلس الوزراء حاكم دبي (رعاه الله)، في الارتقاء بجودة الحياة في إمارة دبي، وتوفير خيارات متعددة للسكان، لتكون دبي المدينة الأفضل للحياة في العالم. pic.twitter.com/ltBpxBTptK

Mattar Al Tayer, the RTA’s director general, said this was an example of how the transport authority would successfully incorporate artificial intelligence and emerging technology to boost productivity.

“This [mapping] is in preparation for the launch of the actual service by 2023, rendering Dubai the first city in the world to commercially operate Cruise self-driving vehicles outside the US Cruise’s next-generation self-driving vehicle. The Origin will be deployed in limited numbers next year to offer taxi and