Gulf nations are aggressively advancing their smart city logistics. In a coordinated regional push, Saudi Arabia’s Transport General Authority (TGA) and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have officially transitioned their self-driving vehicle initiatives from closed pilot programs to active public operations.
Quick Facts
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Riyadh route links Hayat Mall and Riyadh Gallery.
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Dubai rolled out 100 self-driving taxis via Uber.
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Saudi pilots covered 30,000 kilometers with 3,000 passengers.
Scaling Autonomous Transport in Saudi Arabia
In Riyadh, the TGA has inaugurated a dedicated route for autonomous passenger vehicles connecting Hayat Mall and Riyadh Gallery. The service operates daily under strict regulatory oversight, acting as the initial phase for a much wider national rollout across the Kingdom.
The operational fleet relies on advanced sensing technology, utilizing intelligent software and cameras to monitor live road conditions and adapt to active traffic.
This commercial launch follows extensive pilot testing. During the trial phase, autonomous vehicles completed over 1,700 trips, transported more than 3,000 passengers, and navigated 30,000 kilometers, proving the technical readiness of the platform.
The Riyadh deployment directly supports Saudi Arabia’s national transport and logistics strategy, anchoring the Vision 2030 mandate to build a sustainable, tech-enabled mobility ecosystem.
Dubai Activates Commercial Robo-Taxis in Key Districts
Parallel to Riyadh’s efforts, Dubai’s RTA has launched commercial autonomous taxi operations in the high-traffic Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah neighborhoods.
Moving beyond closed trials, Dubai executed this rollout in partnership with global autonomous driving developers WeRide and Apollo Go.
Consumers can now access the self-driving fleet through the standard Uber app or Apollo Go’s dedicated platform. Local partners are managing fleet operations for an initial deployment of approximately 100 self-driving taxis, with capacity scaling based on user demand.
This activation drives the Dubai Self-Driving Transport Strategy, a regulatory framework designed to establish the emirate as a primary global hub for autonomous mobility.
About the Transport General Authority and RTA
Saudi Arabia’s Transport General Authority (TGA) regulates the Kingdom’s railway, marine, and road transport sectors, actively integrating advanced technologies to support the national transport and logistics strategy. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) manages the emirate’s entire transport network, heavily investing in smart infrastructure to fully automate public transportation and align with broader sustainability agendas.
Source: Fast Company Middle East
