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.
The Origin will be deployed in limited numbers next year to offer taxi and e-hail services
Mattar Al Tayer,
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority chief
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.
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 e-hail services," he said.
“We have plans to increase the number of deployed vehicles gradually to reach 4,000 by 2030.”
Transport officials earlier said that 10 autonomous vehicles would first be deployed in late 2023 in the first phase.
The tie-up with Cruise for its first international robotaxi service outside the US was announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, on Twitter last year.
“Dubai will be the first outside America to operate self-driving Cruise vehicles, in fulfilment of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision that Dubai is always in first place and the best city to live and work,” Sheikh Hamdan said in April 2021.
“Our goal is to convert 25 per cent of the total ... trips in Dubai to self-driving trips through various means of transport by 2030.”
The ambition of the Dubai authorities is to offer several autonomous drive options for residents and tourists to choose from as part of a wider strategy to revolutionise transport.
Mr Al Tayer said the aim was to improve the quality of life and position Dubai as the world's best city to live in.
The autonomous cars are part of Cruise’s fleet of commercial driverless vehicles operating in San Francisco.
The overall aim of using electric self-drive options is to cut crashes, emissions and congestion.
At Gitex, the Dubai Taxi Corporation will also display vehicles fitted with screens on which riders can watch the news or play games.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Sterling 46', De Bruyne 65', Gundogan 70')
Aston Villa 0
Red card: Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
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TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Elina Svitolina (UKR) [3] v Jennifer Brady (USA)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) v Belinda Bencic (SUI [4]
Not before 7pm:
Sofia Kenin (USA) [5] v Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Maria Sakkari (GRE) v Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) [7]
Court One
Starting at midday:
Karolina Muchova (CZE) v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) v Dayana Yastermska (UKR)
Petra Martic (CRO) [8] v Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v Anett Kontaveit (EST)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
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Funding stage: Seed investment
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Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')
Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
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The figures behind the event
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
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