Record number of early votes cast in Georgia. Tom Brady becomes part owner of Raiders. Why America’s drug stores are closing.
Dubai Now
Dubai Self-Driving Public Transport
Updated 7:10 AM EDT, Mon March 9, 2020
Passengers board a self-driving minibus at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China.Dubai trials self-driving vehicles: As part of its efforts to promote driverless vehicles, Dubai trialled this autonomous module from NEXT Future Transportation, which could be showcased at Expo 2020.The modular vehicles can each accommodate 10 passengers – or 20 with standing room.<br /><br />Several can be connected together to form a chain, with passengers able to move between units.Dubai has set a target of having 25% of journeys in the city to be made through self-driving vehicles by 2030 – and separately of having 26% of journeys through public transport by the same year.<br /><br />Pod-style vehicles could play an important role in realizing these targets. Several have been on trial in the city including those of NEXT and French firm Easy Mile, whose EZ10 model is shown here.Dubai staged its inaugural Self-Driving Congress in October. The centerpiece was a challenge to produce First and Last Mile Connection vehicles, with more than $5 million in prize money at stake.<br /><br />The five finalists included Easy Mile and fellow French company Navya, whose pod-style vehicles have been in public use in France since 2016.Also a finalist was Dutch company 2getthere, whose vehicles include the Brussels Airport Autonomous Shuttle.Pods have become an increasingly popular mode of autonomous public transport around the world, offering a low-speed, low-cost form of self-driving technology that allows users to become familiar with driverless transport.<br /><br />The ‘Olli’ bus from Local Motors first carried passengers in Washington in 2016.The first German autonomous driving public transport bus drives on a country road that is part of its new route near to the train station of Bad Birnbach, southern Germany.<br />The self-driving public transport bus will bring passengers now from the train station to the town centre of Bad Birnbach, and back.
