Dubai on Tuesday announced plans to launch a network of autonomous electric vehicles linked to the Metro, with the project to help the long-term drive to tackle traffic congestion.
The emirate's Roads and Transport Authority said the Glydways system – unveiled on the opening day of the World Governments Summit in Dubai – would be able to carry more than 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction and would travel at speeds of 50kph.
A trial of the public transport scheme is to begin this year, ahead of it being fully implemented in the next two years.
Mark Seeger, chief executive and founder of San Francisco-based Glydways, said the initiative would provide a non-stop service that will allow passengers to book journeys much like a taxi service. The launch date and pricing structure have not yet been announced, but Mr Seeger said fares would be comparable to a train or bus ticket.
“We do the same thing the train does of moving a huge volume of people in a space of a bicycle lane," Mr Seeger told The National.
"We use a small electric vehicle controlled by AI that allows every passenger their own vehicle with no sharing with strangers for the same price of a bus ticket or a train ticket,” he said. “You get air conditioning, Wi-Fi, music. It's your own space. The journey is non-stop from your pick-up to your destination.
“Dubai is growing, as well as traffic. The RTA is working with us to help decongest the city and move people around more freely.”
The vehicles are about 1.4 metres wide, will have a range of 250km and can accommodate between four and six passengers.
Ahmed Bahrozyan, chief executive officer of the RTA's public transport agency, said the service will have the capacity to operate ten vehicles simultaneously on any given route.
“It can be like a train. It can go through congested and narrow roads,” he said. “Trials will start in Bluewaters this year. The actual implementation of the project will be in the next two years.”
Four routes unveiled
Four initial routes for the service have been confirmed:
- A 2.8km route from National Paints Metro Station, in Jebel Ali, to Bluewaters Island
- A 1.9km route from Mall of the Emirates Metro Station, in Al Barsha, to Madinat Jumeirah
- A 2.6km route from Onpassive Metro Station, in Al Quoz, to Alserkal Avenue and Times Square Centre
- A 7km route in Dubai Festival City to serve the area, with the possibility of a future connection to the Dubai Metro Blue Line
