Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a trial of a fully electric, driverless transit system at Bluewaters Island, marking the emirate's first real-world test of autonomous pod technology on dedicated tracks.
The system, known as Dubai Glydways, runs on-demand between set points along fixed, dedicated routes rather than following a traditional timetable. RTA Director General and Chairman Mattar Al Tayer attended the launch and personally rode one of the pods, a five-minute journey that served as the public debut of the technology in the emirate. According to the RTA, the trial will run for four weeks to assess how the system performs under real urban conditions before any decision is made on wider rollout.
The project's stated goal is to strengthen first- and last-mile connectivity, the often-overlooked gap between a metro or bus stop and a traveller's actual destination. The AI-powered, electric pods are designed to cover these short distances autonomously and respond to passenger demand in real time, rather than running fixed loops regardless of ridership.
Bluewaters, a waterfront leisure and tourism district home to Ain Dubai, was chosen as the test site, a logical choice given the area's high volume of tourist foot traffic and the need for convenient short-hop mobility between attractions, dining and residential towers.
The move builds on recent digital upgrades to Dubai's public transport network, including the RTA's rollout of QR-code boarding as an alternative to physical red Nol tickets across the metro, buses and trams. The Glydways trial represents a further step in Dubai's broader push to position itself among the world's leading cities for smart, sustainable urban mobility.
Whether the pods become a permanent fixture of Dubai's transport network will depend on the outcome of this four-week evaluation period.