RTA and US tech company Cruise have begun testing driverless taxis

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and US self-driving tech company, Cruise, have begun testing driverless taxis in Dubai

The latest trial phase on public roads in Jumeirah 1 will assess:

– Autonomous Driving Safety – Vehicle Performance

No passengers are allowed and a safety driver is behind the wheel.

RTA will add more autonomous taxis in the Jumeirah area in 2024 and gradually deploy 4,000 cabs in Dubai by 2030.

A new platform, Dubai AI, which will serve as a "digital city concierge", has been launched

The ChatGPT-style service, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), is available on the dubai.ae website and the Dubai Now mobile application.

It is able to answer queries about 15 sectors, including tourism, aviation, healthcare, entertainment and education.

The Dubai-headquartered luxury airline startup, Beond, has started accepting bookings for its first flights

The inaugural aircraft, Airbus A319, offers 44 lay-flat seats. Passengers would be provided with Apple iPads.

Flights scheduled for November 2023:

• Maldives
• Riyadh
• Munich
• Zurich

The goal for the next 5 years:

– 32 Aircraft – 60 Destinations