Sheikh Hamdan shares self-driving car test on Dubai roads
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Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum shared a glimpse of Dubai’s autonomous transport plans on Thursday after posting a video of himself travelling in a self-driving car on city roads.
The footage, posted on Instagram, showed the Crown Prince of Dubai seated inside the vehicle during a test drive, with his hands off the controls. He captioned the video: “Hands off. Future on”. The post drew strong engagement from users soon after it was shared.
Also seen in the vehicle was Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, indicating official oversight of the test.
The video coincided with wider discussions on urban transport at the World Government Summit. Speaking at the summit on Wednesday, Al Tayer said Dubai is progressing towards a “20-minute city” model, where residents can reach workplaces, schools and leisure facilities within a short travel time.
He said autonomous transport is increasingly part of daily movement in the emirate.
“For a long time, taxis were operated by drivers. Today in Dubai, autonomous taxis are becoming part of the daily commute”, Al Tayer told the summit.
Dubai has already started deploying self-driving taxis, beginning with 100 vehicles. Authorities plan to increase the fleet to more than 1,000 in the coming period. Al Tayer said the longer-term target is for driverless journeys to account for 25 per cent of all trips in the emirate by 2030.
