DUBAI - Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority began a four-week trial of the Glydways automated transit system at Bluewaters Island on Sunday, sending autonomous electric pods along dedicated guideways separate from ordinary traffic, the authority said.
Mattar Al Tayer, the RTA's director general and chairman of its board of executive directors, marked the start by taking a five-minute ride on the designated Bluewaters route. Mark Seeger, founder and co-chief executive of Glydways, and Blake Barber, co-chief executive and chief technology officer, attended a briefing on the control centre, sensing systems and vehicle operations before the ride, according to the Emirates News Agency and Dubai Media Office.
The pods carry four to six passengers, travel at up to 50 kilometers an hour and have a stated range of about 250 kilometers on a single charge. Each vehicle is fitted with 20 high-resolution LiDAR sensors plus radar and high-definition cameras. The system can virtually link more than 10 vehicles with headways of less than one second and is designed to carry more than 20,000 passengers an hour in both directions, the RTA said.
"The trial operation marks an important stage in assessing the system's operational and technical aspects, evaluating its ability to provide a safe, seamless and reliable mobility experience, and exploring opportunities for integration with the public transport network, particularly for first- and last-mile journeys," Mr. Al Tayer said in the authority's statement.
The pods run on narrow, dedicated guideways that can be built at ground level or elevated, rather than mixing with general road traffic. The RTA said the model is intended for round-the-clock, on-demand trips between points, with optional in-cabin climate and entertainment controls. Officials cited potential capital-cost savings of up to 90 percent and operating-cost savings of up to 70 percent compared with similar transport modes.
The Bluewaters trial follows a cooperation agreement between the RTA and Glydways to develop what the authority called Dubai's first automated transit network programme of its kind. Dubai Holding is providing infrastructure and operational support at the retail destination. The four-week phase is meant to test autonomous driving, sensing, communication and control systems, plus journey times and passenger experience, before any wider rollout decision.
Routes under study include a 2.8-kilometer link between National Paints Metro Station and Bluewaters, and possible connections serving Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Festival City, Business Bay and Mohammed Bin Rashid City. Those remain proposals contingent on trial results. Glydways, founded in 2016, builds automated transit networks that use autonomous electric vehicles on dedicated guideways.
