His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, inaugurated the Dubai World Self-Driving Transport Exhibition, throwing the spotlight on the emirate’s accelerated push into autonomous mobility.
The event, held under the aegis of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and packed with global innovators, showcases how the UAE is turning self-driving transport from concept to reality.
Joined by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed and leadership from RTA, Sheikh Hamdan praised Dubai’s bold vision and said: “We are working to make Dubai the world’s most future-ready city, the best place to live and the fastest in adopting innovations that enhance quality of life.”
H.H. underscored that the Self-Driving Transport Strategy is integral to Dubai’s Economic Agenda D33, which seeks to double the emirate’s economic scale and boost global competitiveness.
Exhibition and Technology Highlights
The exhibition, running alongside the Dubai World Congress and the Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, draws more than 3,000 delegates and hosts over 55 exhibitors showcasing robotics, AI, autonomous buses and vehicles, and mobility innovations.
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Among the standout showcases: TENSOR’s autonomous vehicle debut in the region, XPENG’s autonomous aircraft, and technology solutions from finalist consortia of the Dubai World Challenge.
The congressional sessions include over 80 speakers, 50+ exhibitors, and 45+ workshops/seminars focusing on technical integration, safety regulation, AI ethics, mobility planning, and investment in autonomous transport.
Self-Driving Projects in UAE
Perhaps the most concrete proof of progress is the deployment of pilot autonomous taxi fleets across Dubai’s urban districts. Companies such as Baidu Apollo Go, WeRide, and Pony.ai are operating driverless shuttles in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim.
While these rides are currently supervised, the full driverless commercial rollout is anticipated by 2026.
These pilots integrate into the broader “Dubai Future Ride” umbrella, intended to deliver a standardized passenger experience with AI-powered interactive entertainment screens, unified branding, and smart services.
Beyond Dubai, the UAE is exploring autonomous mobility in other domains as well. Several pilot programs are underway in UAE cities testing robot delivery, autonomous warehouse shuttles, and driverless cargo vehicles.
Sensor-equipped roads, smart traffic control, V2X systems, and real-time data platforms are also being incorporated in major development projects like the Expo site, new city districts, and transport corridors.
Strategy & Targets
The Dubai Self-Driving Transport Strategy 2025–2040 presented at the event is a roadmap with clear benchmarks: 25% autonomous share of trips by 2030, rising to 36% by 2040. This is an extension of Dubai’s earlier Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy and aligns with the vision of converting 25% of mobility journeys into driverless modes by 2030.
The plan will rely heavily on coordinated public policy, infrastructure investment, AI and sensor frameworks, regulatory clarity, open data platforms, and public-private partnerships.
Challenges and Scaling
Despite momentum, challenges remain. Integration across multi-modal systems, public safety assurance, road and infrastructure adaptation, cybersecurity, legal frameworks, and human trust are significant hurdles. Scaling pilot programs from controlled zones into fully open public streets will test both technology and governance readiness.
In addition, inter-emirate coordination (between Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, etc.) and alignment with federal transport and aviation authorities (for aerial/autonomous marine mobility) are becoming more important as ambitions widen.
Going Forward into An Autonomous Future
The inauguration of the Dubai World Self-Driving Transport Exhibition is more than a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, it signals that Dubai and the UAE are pressing their foot firmly on the accelerator of autonomous mobility.
The converging of policy, pilots, public-private collaboration, and long-term strategy suggests that Dubai isn’t just experimenting; it’s trying to leapfrog into a leadership position.
By 2026, with driverless taxi deployment, Dubai hopes to turn large swathes of urban mobility autonomous. The success of that will hinge on technology readiness, regulatory agility, public acceptance, and the ability to scale safely across dense urban environments.
As fleets expand, zones open, and the public starts riding in vehicles and cargo gets delivered in vans without human drivers, 2025 could well become a watershed year in the UAE’s autonomous transport journey and Dubai may become a global reference point for how cities migrate into the driverless mobility era.
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