Since its founding more than half a century ago, the UAE has successfully positioned itself as a hub for innovation. Two announcements made in Dubai this week underscore this ambition in the realm of public transport. They also reinforce the fact that the country has both enthusiastically and strategically embraced the current transformative era.
At the World Governments Summit on Tuesday, Dubai signed a contract with Elon Musk’s tunnelling firm, The Boring Company, to build a high-speed underground road system, known as the Dubai Loop. Also at the summit, the emirate announced plans to launch the Glydways system, a network of autonomous electric vehicles named after the San Francisco-based company it is partnering with.
Both projects have been commissioned with the purpose of tackling the burgeoning metropolis’s traffic congestion, by encouraging residents and visitors alike to use public transport. But they also represent a bold leap towards redefining urban mobility.
With below-ground transport regarded as ideal for reducing emissions and ensuring smoother journeys, the Dubai Loop would be a welcome addition to one of the world’s hottest cities. Similarly, the Glydways system, a network of driverless electric pods capable of ferrying more than 10,000 passengers in an hour, envisions app-driven journeys linked seamlessly to the Dubai Metro.
Dubai’s decision to partner with Mr Musk and harness his creative vision to build the Loop is strategically sound, given the American tech mogul’s proven track record as an innovator. In addition to building SpaceX that has revolutionised space travel, Mr Musk’s automobile company, Tesla, can be credited for mainstreaming EVs around the world.
These ground-breaking projects are symptomatic not only of the kind of futurist thinking widely associated with Dubai. Similarly ambitious undertakings in the transport sector are also well under way in other parts of the UAE.
Abu Dhabi, for example, has for some years been innovating on flying taxis, with companies like Joby Aviation gearing up for commercial flights in the not-too-distant future. Sharjah’s sky pods, described as elevated cable cars zipping over urban landscapes, are likely to add another layer of aerial innovation sooner rather than later.
And while train travel has been around for more than two centuries, Etihad Rail’s passenger services that will be launched later this year are expected to bring the emirates and their farthest regions closer to one another.
The implications of all of these initiatives extend far beyond convenience. The use of reliable public transport could translate to less stress and more productivity for residents. There are economic benefits, too, with the myriad projects expected to create thousands of jobs, in addition to enhancing tourism. Furthermore, the ongoing shift to EVs will support the UAE’s Green Agenda 2030.
Of course, new opportunities will present new challenges. Policymakers and entrepreneurs can be expected to address issues ranging from mitigating cybersecurity risks for autonomous systems to ensuring equitable access to these modes of transport.
Notwithstanding these hurdles, it is increasingly clear that the UAE is already setting the pace when it comes to the future of transport. Which is only fitting for a country that has always been on the move.
