Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Cruise, a General Motors subsidiary, signed a strategic partnership to operate autonomous vehicles — robotaxis — in the emirates by 2023. As a result, Dubai will be the first city outside the US to operate self-driving Cruise vehicles.
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai, personally shared this highly advanced initiative across his social media. “In fulfillment of H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's vision for Dubai to become the best city for living and working, we aim to convert 25% of total journeys in Dubai to self-driving trips by 2030,” he said.
Within this decade, Dubai's vision for the future of autonomous driving aims to reduce transport costs by AED 900 million annually, save AED 1.5 billion annually by reducing pollution by 12 percent, and gain AED 18 billion in revenue yearly by increasing the efficiency of the sector.
The Cruise self-driving fleet will reach 4,000 vehicles by 2030, with Dubai as the first location outside the US to operate the autonomous vehicles. Cruise will start testing its vehicles in the kingdom in 2023, with plans to launch a commercial ride-hailing service soon after. This will manifest the future of smart transportation within the Arab city.
Cruise is among the best capitalized autonomous vehicle companies in the world, currently valued at $30 billion, and raised over $9.25 billion dollars over the last three years.