Exclusive: Abu Dhabi transitions to private shipping from pilots to public roads – he al Shorafa

Abu Dhabi has introduced a full deployment of private vehicles, with unlicensed taxis, buses and cargo Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Transport and Member of the Executive Council of the Abu Dhabi Department told Arabian business.

“A lot of people are talking about sending autonomous vehicles or robotics. It’s good to talk about it, but you need to have things on the ground,” he said. “In Abu Dhabi we don’t announce anything we plan to do. Instead, we always announce things we’ve already done.”

AL SHORAFA said illegal taxis have been operating for several months on key routes including Zayled International Airport, Yas Island, Saadiyat, Saadiyat, Reem and Maryah Islands.

“Abu Dhabi is really prepared because the urgency required by the leadership is very great,” he said. “Abu Dhabi will be one of the few cities in the world to have a high number of autonomous vehicles on its roads.”

He added that the emirate was not waiting for the agreement of the countries before working.

“We have set our own benchmarks, ensuring that our policies are always responsive to technological advances, best practices and global developments,” he said.

Abu Dhabi has already equipped its entire road network with messaging, and its traffic infrastructure is legally connected to a centralized platform designed to manage vehicle movements and reduce congestion, it said.

“Our street lights are already digitally connected in one place, and we only have a central autonomous control center,” he said. “We understand that there is more traffic than in other areas, so the AI ​​system automatically uses a ‘green wave’ to reduce congestion.”

He said the government’s priority was to ensure that all public transport systems are fully autonomous, with private vehicles equipped to operate in self-driving mode.

“The most important thing for us is to transport our public transport,” he said. “We have already tested big buses and small electric buses within the Masdar area. In terms of public transport, we are already testing large autonomous buses.”

While there are no current targets for autonomous vehicles, the infrastructure is being built to make all vehicles freedom-ready, he said.

“We have not set a target for autonomous vehicles. We have targets for electric vehicles, but all vehicles must be ready to be autonomous.

Independent programs are also transferred to objects. Etihad Airways has signed a memorandum of understanding to use private vehicles for the delivery of goods from Zayed International Airport to industrial ports, reducing reliance on roadways.

“We have started to send food delivery to private vehicles on the streets, even delivery inside commercial and residential buildings,” he said. “The food will be delivered directly and independently in a van. Then there will be another car that will take it inside the buildings and at your light and leave your food without your order.”

al Shorafa said Abu Dhabi is also exploring robotics for wider use.

“We will introduce robotics not only on the production side, but also in our wider society. Security guards, for example, are not limited.

He added the shift to automation should not be seen as a threat to employment but as part of the evolution of technology.

“It’s natural to think this is going to scare you,” she said. “But look at history. Before the industrial revolution, nobody thought that you would have cars and railway stocks that would need to be replaced by people, new employment structures, new jobs to be created.

“History always determines our future. If we think about that, we should be more comfortable.”