Tag Archives: RTA

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with the Chinese EHANG Company, has carried out the first test run of an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) capable of carrying a human, branded as EHANG184 in Dubai skies. RTA is set to start the operation of the AAV as early as July this year. The EHANG184 vehicle is fitted with a touchscreen to the front of the passenger seat displaying a map of all destinations in the form of dots. It has preset routes and the rider is to select the intended destination. The vehicle will then start automatic operation, take off and cruise to the set destination before descending and landing in a specific spot. A ground control center will monitor and control the entire operation. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA said: “The trial run of the first AAV is in implementation of the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world. It is also part of RTA’s endeavors to provide self-driving transport through engaging in the technological tests of self-driving vehicles under Dubai environment. It replicates Dubai Self-driving Transport Strategy aimed at transforming 25 per cent of total individual trips in Dubai into Self-driving trips using various modes of transport by 2030. The step would also enhance the integration between public transport modes and people happiness through the provision of smooth, quick and innovative mobility. The AAV exhibited at the World Government Summit is not just a model; it is a real version that we have already experimented …

Traditional abras are now available for a ride on the Dubai Canal, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced. Catering mainly to tourists, the 20-seater abras will be available from the Shaikh Zayed Road station at Dh25 per ride per person. The abras will also be available for chartering at Dh300 per hour. According to Abdullah Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency, the operation of traditional abras in the Dubai Canal is part of a plan to expand marine transit services, particularly targeting tourists. “The traditional abra, which would be available on demand, has a capacity to accommodate 20 riders, with a minimum eight riders required for a trip and [it] ferries them on a journey that starts from the Shaikh Zayed Road station. The service is aimed at supporting RTA’s pioneering efforts to provide tourist services capable of enhancing the profile of Dubai and bringing happiness to people,” said Al Ali. The service will be available from 4 pm to 11.30 pm throughout the week. Al Ali said ferries are also available on demand in case of congestion experienced by the traditional abras. The RTA is projecting a significant demand for the service with 23,000 people expected to use it this year. He added that the operation of a tourist service through one of the oldest transit means in the region on the Dubai Canal enables the public to savour and explore the new tourist landmark of the emirate. He said that the RTA has already endorsed the operation of marine transit services at nine new stations — five on the Dubai Canal and four on the Business Bay stretch of the canal.

The UAE is one step closer to being the world’s first location for a new form of high speed transport system that can enable people to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 12 minutes, following an agreement signed between Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) and pioneering mobility company, Hyperloop One. Alongside the signing of the RTA agreement, the Hyperloop One team introduced, for the first time ever, a vision that represents a complete transformation in the way that people travel in the 21st century as the engineers, architects and designers from Hyperloop One and BIG have collaborated intensively for six months to produce a wholly original system design for Hyperloop travel. The idea of a Hyperloop – a low-pressure tube through which levitating pods containing both passengers and goods can travel at up to 1,200 km/h – has recently gained attention around the world. Benefits include higher standards of safety than a passenger jet, lower build and maintenance costs than high-speed rail, and energy usage, per person, that is similar to a bicycle. Today the company showcased the first-ever routes from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, several Hyperports (the equivalent of a station or airport) throughout Dubai, and the conceptual interiors and exteriors of the individual passenger pods. The work is based on a detailed study of how an urban and inter-city transport network should integrate with the existing infrastructure. It’s autonomous, point-to-point and vastly simplifies the experience of getting from your front door to your destination.