The General Motors subsidiary Cruise has signed an agreement with the Dubai Government to operate a driverless ride-hailing service in the Emirate.
The agreement will make Dubai the first non-US city in the world where Cruise will commercially operate these vehicles.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority says the deployment of these self-driving vehicles is expected to significantly improve road safety levels as over 90% of accidents are due to human errors and that the all-electric vehicles are environmentally-friendly and capable of serving a wide range of clients from different community segments, including seniors and people of determination.
It adds that this agreement will support Dubai’s 2030 vision for self-driving technology, as part of which the emirate seeks to reduce transportation costs by AED900 million (£180 million) a year and reduce pollution by 12%.
“The selection of Cruise was not taken lightly,” said His Excellency Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA. “We engaged in a comprehensive, multi-year process to choose the best possible partner. Cruise’s technology, resources, purpose-built vehicle, automaker partnerships, approach to safe testing and deployment and strategy give them the ability to launch safely and faster than any other company.
“Preparations for the launch of the self-driving service will start shortly. The operation of Cruise self-driving vehicles will start with a limited number of vehicles in 2023, with plans to scale up to 4,000 vehicles by 2030.”
(Picture – Cruise)
