The Glydways system that will revolutionise urban mobility. Photos by RTA
Getting around Dubai may soon be easier and traffic-free. The transport authority, on Tuesday, revealed a network of small, self-driving electric vehicles that operate on narrow, dedicated tracks to avoid traffic impact.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) shared the details of the system called Revolutionize Urban Mobility at the ongoing World Government Summit (WGS) 2026, where a prototype was on display. A display board at the summit stated that the system will be launched across four locations in the city, connecting metro stations with surrounding areas.
The project, which will offer last-mile connectivity, will be rolled out in four locations: Bluewater Island, Umm Suqeim, Al Quoz, and Dubai Festival City. However, the timeline for when the initiative will begin or be completed is unclear. The Bluewater route will have the system stretch 2.8km from the National Paints metro station to Bluewater Island. This will be the trial route.
At Umm Suqeim, the route will be 1.9km between the Mall of the Emirates metro station and Madinat Jumeirah. In Al Quoz, the autonomous track will run 2.6km from the Onpassive metro station to Alserkal Avenue and Times Square Centre. The longest track will serve the Dubai Festival City area and be 7km long, with the possibility of linking to the Dubai Metro Blue Line later.
An enclosed pod of the Revolutionize Urban Mobility seats four to six people and can run 250km on a single charge. It will travel at 50km per hour and can transport more than 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.
The prototype showed where passengers can scan their tickets or ask for help. An SOS button is located near the door next to a large handle to help people move.
Inside view of Revolutanize Urban mobility. Photos by Shihab
Designed by the California-based company Glydways, the system will utilise autonomous driving technologies, significantly reducing costs. The required capital will be 90 per cent lower, and operational savings could reach 70 per cent.
The company claims its electric vehicles run in dedicated lanes the size of a bike lane. They can be added alongside existing roads, above ground or underground, without additional tracks or wiring. The compact guideways can scale with the city.
Glydways has been working with Dubai and Abu Dhabi to explore deploying its autonomous mass transit system since last year. In November, the company signed an interim deal with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office to explore the deployment of its innovative transit systems across Abu Dhabi.
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Nasreen Abdulla is a Special Correspondent covering food, tech and human interest stories. When not...