Abu Dhabi’s G42 Group to Test Driverless Taxis in New Trial

Abu Dhabi’s Group 42 will begin trials for the first driverless ride-sharing service this month. The company, backed by Mubadala Investment Co. aims to make the technology accessible throughout the United Arab Emirates soon.

For the trial period, Group 42 will begin with five cars on Yas Island which is also home to Formula one race track and Ferrari World theme park. Yas Island is one of UAE’s leading tourist destination and welcomes millions of visitors every year. The self-driving cars will initially come with a safety officer on board and will drive between nine stops with popular hotels and shopping malls.

The second phase of the trial will include more vehicles and destination points across the emirate. G42 hopes to make the hardware technology available soon and launch the ride-hailing app. UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the testing of self-driving vehicles this month. G242 is not the first to begin trials for driverless cars, Cruise LLC unit owned by General Motor’s signed a deal earlier this year to introduce self-driving taxis in Dubai. Over the next decade, the company aims to bring 4,000 driverless shuttles to the roads.

G42 is a renowned company which focuses on artificial intelligence and cloud computing. It has operations in a wide range of industries ranging from healthcare to energy and more. Over the past year, the company has hired over 1000 employees to merge with Etisalat. It is also one of the first companies to base an office in Israel to improve economic relations.

©Photo: Victor Besa / The National