【2018 Archives】

It might not018 Archivesflying taxis, but self-driving taxis on the road started test runs in Dubai on Sunday.

At the technology show, GITEX Technology Week, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority, or RTA, showed off its autonomous taxi service.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The driverless car service kicked off at the show and will run for the next three months in select parts of the city, according to transportation officials.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

SEE ALSO: UberAir announces 5 countries that could host its flying taxi service

The cars are intended to connect passengers during the "first and last mile" to get from existing transportation systems to, say, a shopping mall or movie theater or other venue or to get back home.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The RTA said the cars go up about 20 mph and fit four passengers. Up front is a safety driver who can take over the car if needed. In promotional materials the cars are depicted without anyone in the front seat for a truly driverless experience, hinting at what the transportation agency could introduce later. The cars are modified Mercedes-Benz sedans with cameras, sensors, and LiDAR system built into the car.

The taxis come after Dubai tested self-driving passenger drones for an air-based taxi system. That service hasn't taken off yet for the general public to use.

View this post on Instagram

A release about the taxi service hailed the program for its contribution in "transforming Dubai into the smartest city in the world."

---

Featured Video For You

---

Airbus' drone taxi has successfully completed its first 53-second test flight

---

Topics Self-Driving Cars

• Tech
• Entertainment
• Games
• Science
• Life
• Shopping
• Social Good
• Deals

• Patched Desktop PC: Meltdown & Spectre Benchmarked
• Susannah Hunnewell, 1966–2019 by The Paris Review
• For the Love of Orange by Larissa Pham
• A Cultural History of First Words by Michael Erard
• Sunday's Fat Bear Week match pits two fat favorites against each other
• A Primer for Forgetting by Lewis Hyde
• Sorry, Peter Pan, We’re Over You by Sabrina Orah Mark
• Three Sisters, Three Summers in the Greek Countryside by Karen Van Dyck
• Classified Zuma spacecraft may have failed after SpaceX launch
• The Silhouette Artist by Amy Jo Burns

• Canada's Girl Scouts have also had enough of Trump
• Nintendo takes us through the four
• This app helps immigrants instantly alert family and lawyers when they're detained
• 25 pressing questions from a SXSW first
• Apple could kill almost 200,000 apps with iOS 11
• This new podcast from the 'Serial' team is going to be your next obsession
• Want VR work? Turning your resumé into an immersive experience is a good start
• I'm starting to love Instagram Stories more than Snapchat because I'm incredibly thirsty
• 'This Is Us' bosses promise less tears and more laughs in Season 2
• Ben Affleck opens up about his alcohol addiction on Facebook

• UGREEN Nexode 25000mAh 200W power bank drops to $79.99 at Amazon
• A Primer for Forgetting by Lewis Hyde
• Part Love Letter, Part Cookbook by The Paris Review
• George Plimpton’s Illegal Fireworks Display by The Paris Review
• Gmail search just got a lot smarter, thanks to AI
• Staff Picks: From Aphorisms to Zorn by The Paris Review
• Redux: The Thread of the Story by The Paris Review
• A Tale of Fake News in Weimar Berlin by Sophie Duvernoy
• Best robot vacuum deal: Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop at record
• A Refusal to Defend or Even Stick Up for the Art of the Short Story by Peter Orner

• Final Fantasy XV Mega CPU Battle
• The Soviet Children Who Survived World War II by Svetlana Alexievich
• Staff Picks: Fathers, Fleabag, and the French Toast of Agony by The Paris Review
• On Wingspan: Joan Mitchell’s Reach by John Vincler
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for March 18, 2025
• The Caribbean’s Deadliest Fruit: A Taste Test by Jonathan Escoffery
• Three Sisters, Three Summers in the Greek Countryside by Karen Van Dyck
• A Tale of Fake News in Weimar Berlin by Sophie Duvernoy
• Ryzen 5 1600X vs. 1600: Which should you buy?
• Object Worlds and Inner States by Anjum Hasan