Watch: Dubai's Crown Prince rides self-driving taxi

@DXBMediaOffice/ X

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, went on the first demo ride of the Cruise autonomous vehicle (AV) in Jumeirah 1 area.

The ongoing testing and validation of the vehicle is an important step towards launching a self-driving ridehail service in Dubai.

In April 2021, it was announced that Dubai will be the first international market for the Chevrolet Bolt-based Cruise, which is majority owned by General Motors (GM).

During the test ride on Thursday, Sheikh Hamdan was accompanied by Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police.

Cruise will continue to conduct demo rides for key stakeholders in the Jumeirah area, while the RTA will soon announce a registration process allowing selected members of the public to use the Cruise ride hailing app.

The testing of Cruise AVs contributes to Dubai's Strategy for Smart Self-Driving Transport aimed at converting 25 per cent of all mobility journeys in the emirate to self-driving modes by 2030.

Project update

In April 2023, Cruise started digital mapping preparations for its self-driving vehicles in an area of Jumeirah 1 under the guidance of safety drivers.

This process involved the use of HD mapping technology of the surrounding environment, with mapping vehicles, fitted with an array of sensors, lidars, cameras and ranging devices.

In October, Cruise began limited testing with five AVs accompanied by safety drivers behind the wheel. After the demo ride in December, attended by Sheikh Hamdan, Cruise will continue to conduct test rides for key stakeholders.

More from UAE

On Virgin Radio today

  • Non Stop Hits

    1:00am - 8:00am

    The UAE's #1 Hit Music Station with no interruptions

  • The Weekend Breakfast

    8:00am - 11:00am

    Playing 10 hits in a row every hour, all weekend!

Trending on Virgin Radio

  • If Craig David had a verse on Azizam

    The legendary Craig David joins The Kris Fade Show for an unforgettable chat!

  • Untold Dubai

    It arrived: The UAE's First Mega Music Festival at Expo City Dubai!

  • ARN News Centre

    Get the latest UAE and world news from our award winning team of journalists. The ARN News Centre is the country's most trusted source of information.

  • Middle East Hot 30

    Every weekend Kris Fade plays the biggest tracks in the Middle East. Check out this weeks chart...