Dubai has announced another major step toward futuristic mobility with the unveiling of Glydways, an innovative driverless transport system designed to ease congestion across the city. Revealed by the Roads and Transport Authority during the World Governments Summit, Glydways is a network of compact autonomous electric vehicles that operate on narrow dedicated tracks separate from regular road traffic.
The Glydways system uses small self-driving pods that can carry between four and six passengers. These vehicles run on lightweight guideways that can be installed at ground level or elevated, allowing the system to move independently of existing roads. According to the RTA, the network will be capable of transporting more than 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction while reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour. Each vehicle is expected to have a range of around 250 kilometres, making it suitable for daily urban travel.
Plans indicate that Glydways could be introduced across four locations in Dubai, with potential rollout by the end of the year. A proposed 2.8 kilometre route is planned between National Paints Metro Station and Bluewaters. Additional locations under consideration include Madinat Jumeirah Alserkal Avenue Times Square Centre and Dubai Festival City.
Glydways relies on artificial intelligence autonomous driving technology and dedicated guideways to deliver a 24 hour on demand transit experience. Demonstrations show that the system can operate in spaces as narrow as a bike lane and can be deployed quickly at a lower cost compared to traditional transport infrastructure. Dubai joins a growing list of cities exploring the American developed Glydways network with Abu Dhabi also expected to consider the system in the future.
