A company backed by Mubadala Investments in Abu Dhabi, began trials of the first driverless ride-sharing service in the Middle East this month, and it will be rolled out across the Emirates.

According to Arabiya Net, a data unit of the G42 group will start with five cars on Yas Island, and a safety officer will be at the wheel inside the cars, with passengers being transported between 9 Stations, including hotels and shopping malls.

The second phase will include more vehicles in multiple locations across Abu Dhabi, where G42 expects to launch a vehicle-calling app when the program is rolled out, and plans to make hardware technology available for purchase so that Install them on other vehicles.

Data signed an agreement to begin trials of self-driving vehicles in March, and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved testing of self-driving vehicles this month.

Earlier this year, Cruise LLC, the self-driving car unit backed and mostly owned by General Motors, signed a deal to start self-driving taxis. Driving in Dubai in 2023. The company will start operating a small number of vehicles within two years, and plans to operate 4,000 Origin driverless taxis by 2030.

G42 set


The operations of the G42 group, an artificial intelligence and cloud computing company, span from energy to healthcare, and its board of directors is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser.

Earlier this year, G42 signed a deal to manufacture millions of doses of China's Sinopharma vaccine in the UAE. Mubadala acquired a stake in the company last year.