Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with Cruise, a self-driving technology company, initiated supervised testing of driverless vehicles on the emirate’s public roads earlier this week.
According to RTA’s press release, they are currently conducting trials of Chevrolet Bolt-based autonomous vehicles in the Jumeirah 1 area. These trials have a safety driver present behind the wheel, following previous testing of the vehicles on closed tracks.
This testing phase comes after the approval of the first permit to trial Autonomous Vehicles (AV) in Dubai. Cruise received the trial permit, cementing their partnership with RTA to operate autonomous vehicles for future taxi and e-hailing services in the emirate.
“The trial is also considered a step forward on the way to ensure RTA’s strategic objectives to make the experience the MENA’s first autonomous transportation a success along with elevating Dubai’s autonomous pioneership in the region, enhancing its global leadership in autonomous mobility and fostering its aspirations of becoming the world’s smartest city,” the authority wrote in a statement.
Cruise will verify the safety and performance of autonomous driving for Cruise AVs in Dubai, ensuring their compatibility with the digital and physical infrastructure of the target area in Jumeirah 1.
Furthermore, the team will focus on demonstrating the maturity of Cruise’s vehicles, particularly their performance in critical traffic situations in Dubai. In the initial stages of the Dubai road tests for Cruise autonomous vehicles, a safety driver will be present behind the wheel.
