Photos: UAE gets its first ever self-driving bus service

The UAE's first self-driving bus service has launched, and there are plans to roll out more throughout the next year.

The Navya Autonom Shuttle, launched in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City yesterday, can hit speeds of 25kmph and can carry 12 people at a time. The vehicle uses cameras and sensors to detect obstacles and can even communicate with traffic lights. The first shuttle will soon be in full operation, with plans to roll out seven further shuttles in the capital next year. Officials believe the new technology will help reduce the number of accidents on Abu Dhabi's roads.

The shuttle route map will soon be expanded to connect the Etihad Eco Residence complex above the city’s North Car Park with the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Majid Al Futtaim’s My City Centre Masdar shopping mall due for completion in the first half of 2019. Yousef Baselaib, executive director for Sustainable Real Estate at Masdar, said: “Masdar City is built on the three pillars of economic, societal and environmental sustainability and the introduction of our first Navya vehicle perfectly illustrates this philosophy in action.

“Masdar is building on its legacy as a catalyst for clean-tech innovation to bring cutting-edge and commercially viable autonomous mobility to the streets.” Mr Badeslaib hailed the shuttle as a natural follow-up to a similar driverless pods scheme in Masdar City that have carried more than two million passengers around the city over the past eight years.