Residents in Abu Dhabi will soon enjoy a new free ride – a fully autonomous driverless minibus which will operate in Yas Island.
Txai is operating a replica of this minibus, which is on show at the Government of Abu Dhabi stand at Gitex Global which will coincide with the F1 Grand Prix.
“We have integrated a lot of digital maps, technologies, radar, LiDER and cameras to make this project a possibility,” said Sultan al Menhali, Integrated Transport Centre (ITC)’s project manager of traffic systems.
The minibus will seat seven people and have room for four standing passengers. It will make stops at nine different destinations on Yas Island, including the W Hotel, Yas Water World, Yas Marina Circuit, and Ferrari World. A tram on wheels is also set to begin service on Yas Island later this year.
Txai, the region’s first autonomous taxi service, is outfitted with cutting-edge navigation equipment and transports customers between nine stations.
“The taxis are driverless, but we have a safety officer manning it at all times. In the last year, we have not had a single incident, so we are confident we can seamlessly integrate the buses into the current traffic situation at Yas Island,” said Al Menhali.
The ITC declared in March of this year that phase one of the experimental driverless taxi services in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island had been completed successfully. During phase 1, the service covered over 16,000 kilometers and had over 2,700 passenger reservations. A smart app may be used to summon it.
According to authorities, the ITC is in charge of creating the infrastructure required for the deployment of self-driving vehicles inside the transportation network.
