Skip to main content

Increase in passengers for Abu Dhabi autonomous vehicles project

As the driverless vehicle project in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi began its seventh year of operations, it also welcomed its two millionth passenger. The project has collected a wealth of data which is used for further development of autonomous vehicles, both in relation to the technology and in the interaction with the users. The data collected by vehicle supplier 2getthere shows an increasing number of passengers using the system, from an average of 787 per day in May 2014 to 1,382 per day in 2016, a 75 per
November 17, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
As the driverless vehicle project in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi began its seventh year of operations, it also welcomed its two millionth passenger. The project has collected a wealth of data which is used for further development of autonomous vehicles, both in relation to the technology and in the interaction with the users.

The data collected by vehicle supplier 8172 2getthere shows an increasing number of passengers using the system, from an average of 787 per day in May 2014 to 1,382 per day in 2016, a 75 per cent increase. This increase is aided by the willingness of passengers to share transit, with the average occupancy at 60 per cent overall and peaking at nearly 90 per cent at weekends.

According to 2getthere CEO Carel van Helsdingen, the data is invaluable, providing information on the way in which passengers react with the system and reliability of the vehicles in difficult environmental and service conditions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Traveller experience study identifies key themes for improving transport network
    October 14, 2015
    The UK’s Transport Systems Catapult has identified key areas of development in the transport network in its traveller experience study, Traveller Needs, which comprised of 10,000 online questionnaire respondents, 50 company interviews, and 100 expert interviews. The research found that 75 per cent of journeys are characterised by pain-points, with 57 per cent of travellers always looking for ways to optimise their journey. Public transport is considered to be poor value for money with the ‘high cost
  • Smartphones smooth the journey for visually impaired
    May 13, 2016
    Moves to make life easier and safer for vulnerable and impaired road users are gaining strength on both sides of the Atlantic. A recent webcast by the US Roadway Safety Institute, based at the University of Minnesota, showcased work in progress on a positioning and mapping methodology using Bluetooth and smartphone technologies to support situation awareness and wayfinding for the visually impaired.
  • Industry collaboration ‘the key to avoiding autonomous driving traffic congestion’
    July 19, 2016
    A joint whitepaper published by Here and SBD argues that new levels of vehicle automation will increase traffic congestion in the foreseeable future and it's up to the automotive industry to enhance its collaboration in order to create a seamless transition as we reach these new levels of automation. According to co-author of the study, Andrew Hart, director at SBD, autonomous cars have the potential in the long-term to revolutionise mobility and radically improve the safety of our roads. However, the pa
  • Arup report reveals the future of highways
    December 3, 2014
    Future highways will be made from self-healing, glow-in-the-dark materials and will be governed by sophisticated technologies that communicate with cars, road infrastructure and GPS systems, according to the Future of Highways report from global engineering and design consultancy, Arup.