• Home
• /
• UAE
• /
• Transport

How about booking a driverless pod ride?

Dubai - An app-based booking service in Dubai is bringing battery-powered self-driving electronic pods for Dubai commuters.

Now, it's time for a self-driving cab in Dubai. An app-based booking service in Dubai is bringing battery-powered self-driving electronic pods for Dubai commuters.
Careem, the booking service, has teamed up with NEXT Future Transportation Inc. to bring battery-powered, self-driving electronic pods to the Middle East. The announcement comes at the heels of the announcement of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that 25 per cent of all transportation trips in the emirate will be driverless by 2050.
The pods can drive individually or by attaching themselves to other pods to form a bus-like structure in which riders will be able to move freely from one pod to another.
The technology will be the first of its kind in the region, and NEXT and Careem say it will bring a new mode of transportation infrastructure to the Middle East that is safer, more efficient and environment-friendly.
The self-driving pods are designed to operate as a mass transit system that brings passengers from door to door, picking people up on-demand, linking up with other pods in a bus-like string, and getting each passenger from point A to point B as efficiently as possible.
"We are honoured to create a strategic partnership with such an innovative company as NEXT," said Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder and managing director of Careem. "We are acutely aware of the ground realities of intra-city and inter-city transport. While serving the immediate needs of the region, we are also cognizant of the importance of innovating for a greener and more delightful future."
Emmanuele Spera, founder and CEO of NEXT Future Transportation, Inc, said: "NEXT is truly excited about our new relationship with Careem," said "We have invented the world's finest autonomous mass transit solution, and as we look to operationalise, we need a partner that will provide operational depth and scale."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com