Dubais RTA displayed its self-driving and sustainable transport initiatives at the 64th UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona

At a global transportation meeting being hosted in Spain this week, cutting-edge transportation solutions being developed in Dubai are on show. These solutions range from aerial taxis to delivery robots.

The International Association of Public Transport's 64th UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona included self-driving and sustainable transport projects from Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

The Aerial Taxi project, which the RTA collaborated on with Skyports and Joby, is on show at its booth. By the time the project is completed in 2026, Dubai will have the most advanced network for vertical takeoff and landing in the whole globe.

The debut of autonomous delivery robots was also highlighted on the display, as was Yandex's experience with Talabat for the movement of products.

It displays digital cards that can be used to pay for different forms of public transport in the UAE using the nol Pay app for smartphone users as well as the S'hail Smart app, which makes it easier to plan trips using Dubai's public transport.

The Digital Twinning of Railways in Dubai Metro, which relates to train infrastructure and its impact on higher operational value, quicker maintenance, and decision-making operations, is also on show. The RTA is promoting itself as the first government organisation in the MENA area to develop a comprehensive road plan aimed at public transportation and related infrastructure by including its "Zero-Emissions Public Transportation in Dubai 2050" policy on the stand.

The electric bus experiment and the Cruise automated vehicles, which will go on sale in December 2023, are also on display. As the first city outside of the United States to use driverless cars, Dubai is now in the forefront.

For the Dubai Expo 2020 Project—RTA's Multimodal Transport Integration for Mega Events project—RTA earned the UITP Award at the Summit in the Multimodal Integration category.

Earlier, Raquel Sánchez Jiménez, the Spanish Minister for Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda, Khalid Al Hogail, the President of UITP, and Ada Colau, the Mayor of Barcelona, were present when Mattar Al Tayer, the director general and chairman of the board of executive directors of RTA, gave a speech at the summit's opening session.

Al Tayer stated that Dubai wants to lead the world in innovative transportation, notably in the area of autonomous vehicles. To make 25% of mobility travels driverless by 2030, tests of autonomous cars, air taxis, and maritime transport modes are now being conducted.

With over 10% of journeys now using driverless modes, mostly through the Dubai Metro, RTA has made tremendous progress in this area.

The Dubai Government and top technology firms have successfully collaborated to create the innovative transportation initiatives of RTA. Due in large part to the collaboration with the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), Dubai was chosen to host the first-ever MENA edition of the UITP World Congress and Exhibition in 2011.

He emphasised that Dubai's dedication to seamless, sustainable transportation as well as its pursuit of cutting-edge transport solutions solidify its position as a pioneer in the industry and pave the way for the future of urban mobility.

RTA sent a delegation to the event that included numerous CEOs and directors.

The conference, which attracted 1,900 participants from 100 different nations, included 300 presenters in 85 discussion panels that examined the most recent theories and perspectives in this area. In addition to the summit, an exhibition drew 15,000 people. The biannual summit provides a forum for experts in the field of transport to discuss developments in infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and sustainability. This year's theme, "Bright Light of the City," focuses on delivering streamlined and secure travel through interconnected networks.