RTA Dubai and Next Future Transport launch autonomous pods

The Roads Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai, in collaboration with Next Future Transport, is testing autonomous mobility pods on the sidelines of the World Government Summit as part of its effort under the future accelerators initiatives. The trial also supports the city's Self-Driving Strategy to make 25% of public transport autonomous by 2030. These pods are designed with the intention of travelling short and medium distances in dedicated lanes and can be coupled in 15 to 20 seconds or detached, depen
February 15, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
The Roads Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai, in collaboration with Next Future Transport, is testing autonomous mobility pods on the sidelines of the World Government Summit as part of its effort under the %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external future accelerators initiatives false http://www.dubaifuture.gov.ae/our-initiatives/dubai-future-accelerators/ false false%>. The trial also supports the city's Self-Driving Strategy to make 25% of public transport autonomous by 2030.


These pods are designed with the intention of travelling short and medium distances in dedicated lanes and can be coupled in 15 to 20 seconds or detached, depending on the rider's destination, in five seconds. Cameras and electromechanical technologies carry out the coupling and detaching processes, which can be activated in-motion.

Each pod can carry up to ten passengers and has an average speed of 20 k/h. It comes with a three-hour battery capacity; which is chargeable in six hours.

HE Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said: "The RTA has signed an agreement with the American Next Future Inc. to develop autonomous units named NX1 as part of the initial phase of Dubai Future Accelerators. The prototypes of these units are manufactured in Italy and shipped to Dubai to put them on trials. These pods run on a virtual pre-configured and programmed lane and are overseen by the operational system.

“The success of initial tests of these units will bring about a breakthrough in transportation systems that offer innovative mobility solutions and ease snarls in the city. The RTA is keen on ensuring the principle of safety in all services delivered to clients. The autonomous pods have three protection systems in order to ensure full control and avoid crashing into any body. The main system comprises 3D cameras, and the second one is a standby system based on ordinary cameras, and the last is operated manually by the operator.”

Related Content

  • Lime launches free-floating car-share service in Seattle
    November 22, 2018
    Bike-share and electric scooter company Lime has launched a ‘free-floating’ car-share service in Seattle and intends to make 1,500 vehicles available in early 2019. Bloomberg says the company has deployed 50 Lime-branded vehicles and intends to increase this number to 500 by the end of the year. Users can unlock a LimePod vehicle, a customised two-door Fiat 500, via the company’s app for $1 and are charged 40 cents per minute while driving. Toby Sun, Lime’s chief executive officer, says the company is a
    Read More
  • Boeing and Kitty Hawk partner on air urban mobility
    July 10, 2019
    Boeing has joined forces with California-based Kitty Hawk with the aim of advancing air urban mobility. Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing Next, a subsidiary focusing on exploring urban air mobility, says the partners will focus on "safely advancing the future of mobility". Kitty Hawk's range of electric transportation solutions includes Cora, a two-seated air taxi, and Flyer, a vehicle for personalised flight. In January, Boeing completed a test flight of its autonomous
    Read More
  • Uber introduces bus service in Egypt
    December 17, 2018
    Uber has launched its Uber Bus service in Egypt as part of a strategy to provide commuters living in Cairo with an affordable transportation option. The service can be accessed via Uber’s standard app. Uber groups passengers travelling in the same direction to make the service more affordable and reduce the number of stops per trip. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO, says: “We are committed to broadening access to the Uber platform with a range of low-cost options that will move more people around town an
    Read More
  • CTS extends contactless payments to Sydney's trains
    November 28, 2018
    Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) is extending Sydney’s contactless payment system beyond light rail and ferries to include the Australian city’s train network. The technology allows commuters to pay for ticketing via credit cards, smart watches and other electronic devices, alongside the Opal card. CTS’s Asia-Pacific team and Transport for New South Wales initially made the contactless system available for the city’s Manly ferry service in 2017. In March this year, the contactless system was ext
    Read More

Highlighted Content