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Look: Abu Dhabi rolls out free driverless taxis as part of pilot project

The scheme will begin with five cars covering nine locations on Yas Island.

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Driverless taxis have been rolled out in Abu Dhabi as part of the pilot project for the new technology.

Txai, the region’s first driverless taxi service, was launched on Tuesday at the Abu Dhabi Smart City Summit, with trials starting at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Bayanat, part of the G42 group, said trials for the driverless ride-sharing service will begin in Abu Dhabi this month, with the goal of eventually rolling out the technology across the UAE.

The Department of Municipalities and Transport has also signed an agreement partnering with Bayanat to lead the trial use of the autonomous vehicles.

Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Bayanat, told Khaleej Times at the launch of the new service taxi that they will begin with five cars covering nine locations at Yas Island, a popular entertainment destination in the UAE capital.

“The first phase of the high-tech project will feature three electric and two hybrid self-driving vehicles providing free transport services from hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and offices at Yas Mall,” he said.

“We are carrying out comprehensive safety tests to ensure the vehicles operate in line with traffic regulations. We are keen on full safety and regulations at every step before we roll out the vehicles on all roads -- we are always proactive in defining our future.”

According to officials, the Integrated Transport Centre in Abu Dhabi (ITC) will be responsible for establishing the necessary infrastructure for the use of self-driving vehicles within the transport network.

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Al Hosani noted that Bayanat’s partnership with DMT and ITC opens up new and exciting opportunities to transform the transport sector, improve road safety, energy consumption and traffic congestion.

He noted that the unmanned vehicles are using geospatial data, advanced mapping and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

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• Abu Dhabi