Visitors to Saadiyat and Yas Island can take advantage of Txai - the completely free self-driving vehicle service

The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) stated on Thursday (June 29) that during the Eid Al Adha holiday, visitors to Saadiyat and Yas Island may take benefit of a fully free self-driving car service, “Txai.” This service, which will begin as a trial on Yas Island in November 2021, would provide a one-of-a-kind ride with high levels of safety and security, according to ITC.

During the testing, a group of TXAIs provided free, autonomous transportation between several destinations on Yas Island. The cars could be summoned via a smartphone app, and certified safety officials were on hand at all times. ITC began phase 2 of the smart mobility project on Yas Island and Saadiyat in October last year, in collaboration with the Department of Municipalities and Transport, as well as Bayanat and the G42 Group.

The first experiment of five self-driving electric and hybrid taxis began with a nine-stop itinerary on Yas Island. In addition, Bayanat, one of the project's partners, announced that it had completed mapping "the entire UAE" in collaboration with the ITC and G42. The ITC's Smart Mobility Project seeks to change mobility on Yas and Saadiyat first, before spreading to the rest of Abu Dhabi and the globe, and the buses are part of a larger drive to improve the efficiency and environmental impact of how we travel about town.

The self-driving cabs were developed in partnership with the emirate's transport authorities, the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), and Miral, an Abu Dhabi-based real estate and investment corporation. WeRide, a Level 4 autonomous driving technology company, offered the cars' software and hardware solutions.