Masdar City in Abu Dhabi has taken another big step toward a future with driverless vehicles. The city has completed a successful test of autonomous vehicles (AVs) as part of its plan to bring smart, driverless mobility to the UAE.
The test was done in partnership with Solutions+ and under the supervision of the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC). The driverless cars were tested on a 2.4 km route that covered important spots such as Siemens, Central Park, and My City Centre Masdar. This test route was chosen to check how well the vehicles perform in daily traffic and real-life conditions.
The main aim of the trial was to see how safe and efficient these autonomous vehicles are and how easily they can fit into the city’s existing transport system.
During the test phase, safety officers were inside the vehicles to handle any unexpected issues and to ensure passenger safety. However, in the future, the plan is to remove onboard staff and switch to remote monitoring, making the service fully driverless.
All the information collected from this trial will help improve the technology and make sure it meets the UAE’s transport rules and safety standards. It will also guide how such vehicles can be introduced on a larger scale.
Masdar City is not alone in this journey. Dubai is also planning to start its own autonomous vehicle trials later this year, which shows how the UAE is moving fast to adopt new and innovative transport solutions. If these tests continue to succeed, driverless cars may soon become a common sight on UAE roads.
