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Over 60 cars for road mapping, 65 pilot zones: How Dubai will roll out autonomous vehicles
The official roll-out of the service is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026
- PUBLISHED: Sun 4 May 2025, 10:19 PM
Over 60 vehicles will be deployed to carry out road mapping, data collection, and route scanning in the first phase of rolling out autonomous taxis in Dubai. The second phase will see pilot operations launched in up to 65 designated zones across the emirate.
The roadmap of the deployment of autonomous vehicles was one of the key developments that Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, was briefed about by Mattar Al Tayer, Director General of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
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The designated zones for pilot operations will be selected based on several criteria, with a focus on Dubai’s high road safety standards. The official roll-out of the service is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.
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Last month, RTA signed agreements with three leading international companies — Uber Technologies, WeRide and China’s Baidu — specialising in autonomous taxi operations.
This roadmap represents a major milestone in advancing Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to convert 25 per cent of all mobility journeys in the city to autonomous modes by 2030. Earlier, Al Tayer had said that autonomous vehicles contribute to “improved road safety as human error is responsible for over 90 per cent of traffic accidents” and that they “serve a wide segment of the community — particularly senior citizens, residents, and people of determination".
Using smart technology
Sheikh Hamdan was also briefed about key road corridors being developed by the RTA to improve traffic flow. The authority is using smart technologies to monitor road infrastructure projects across the emirate. Drones are used to analyse project progress data, coupled with artificial intelligence to track construction progress.
These technologies have significantly improved operational efficiency at construction sites, sped up decision-making, and provided real-time access to highly accurate data. They have also doubled on-site supervisory presence and reduced the time required for field surveys by 60 per cent.
Additionally, time-lapse imaging is used to monitor construction activities around the clock, enhancing project oversight by 40 per cent and reducing delays by 20 per cent through the early detection of potential issues
