On Thursday, 14 December, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, took the first demo ride of the Chevrolet Bolt-based Cruise autonomous vehicle (AV) in the Jumeirah 1 area, Dubai. This demo ride marks a significant milestone in the testing and validation of the autonomous vehicle, a crucial step towards launching a self-driving ride-hailing service in Dubai.
Upon his arrival in Jumeirah 1, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan was welcomed by His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, and Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police. The meet-up also included Jack Uppal, President and Managing Director of GM Africa Middle East, and Todd Brugger, Vice President of Global Market at Cruise, along with a team of engineers from both RTA and Cruise.
During the visit, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan received a briefing from His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer on the progress of the autonomous vehicle operation project. The project, initiated through a partnership between the RTA and Cruise, began with an agreement to introduce ride-hailing services with Cruise AVs in Dubai.
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In April 2023, Cruise commenced digital mapping preparations for self-driving vehicles in a designated area of Jumeirah 1. The mapping process utilised Cruise's HD mapping technology, employing specially equipped mapping vehicles with an array of sensors, including lidars, ranging devices, cameras, and more.
As part of the ongoing testing and validation, Cruise initiated limited testing with five AVs accompanied by safety drivers in October. Following the demo ride in December attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, Cruise will continue to conduct demo rides with safety drivers for key stakeholders in Jumeirah.
Subsequently, the RTA will announce a registration process allowing selected members of the public to use the Cruise ride-hailing app to experience the futuristic services of Cruise Autonomous transport technologies.
During the ride experience, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, alongside His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer and Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, commenced their autonomous journey in Jumeirah 1, officially marking the start of Dubai's first self-driving vehicle test ride.
“The testing of Cruise AVs is a crucial step towards enhancing Dubai's global leadership in implementing self-driving transport. It contributes to Dubai's Strategy for Smart Self-Driving Transport aimed at converting 25% of all mobility journeys in the emirate to self-driving modes by 2030,” said His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer.