Abu Dhabi Will Operationalize Driverless Bus Service For F1 Racing

Yas Marina Circuit. (Wikimedia Commons/JiteshJagadish)

JAKARTA - Driverless bus services will operate for fans attending the Abu Dhabi Etihad Airways Grand Prix, United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year.

TXAI, the UAE's first driverless taxi service, will run a minibus that stops at eight locations on Yas Island, where the Yas Marina Circuit, which is used in the race, is located.

Each minibus can accommodate up to seven passengers at once. The bus will have an LED screen in the cabin to display a map of the route with the stopping point. Another screen will offer entertainment.

Safwan Ibrahim from the Department of City and Transportation of Abu Dhabi said the minibus would be smaller than the usual sedan.

"It will stop at the main entertainment venue on Yas Island," he told The National News on October 10.

"At the next testing phase, we will operate a minibus on Sadiyaat Island at some point in 2023. It will be free to use, because we want to encourage more people to use this kind of transportation," he explained.

"There are a lot of people living in this area, so we hope this will be put to good use," said Ibrahim.

It is known that the subsidiary of G42, Bayanat and the Department of City and Transportation worked together in March last year to lead the development of driverless vehicles in the emirate.

In November, driverless taxi service TXAI was launched with a month-long trial on Yas Island.

Bayanat said more than 2,730 people ordered ride-sharing services, which took passengers to nine locations on Yas Island, including Ikea, Yas Beach, Yas Mall, Yas Marina, W Hotel, Warner Bros Abu Dhabi, Etihad Arena, and Ferrari World.

To note, a security officer sat in the driver's seat during the trial phase.