Driverless cars for Saudi officials by next year

Alamy via Reuters

• Government first in line for use
• Saudi Road Code announced
• Effort to modernise transport

Saudi Arabia has launched a project for driverless cars which could result in government agencies using them as early as next year. 

The government is installing smart communication devices along roadways that interact with autonomous vehicles, the official Saudi Press Agency said, announcing a new Saudi Road Code. 

“These devices provide real-time road condition data, enabling safe driving decisions and improved traffic flow,” it said, adding that the code will come into effect from early 2025. 

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Saudi Arabia wants 15 percent of the country’s public transport vehicles to be autonomous by 2030.

To accelerate achieving this goal, the transport ministry launched a trial driverless minibus last year called the Dhahaina. 

Last year the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, launched the National Automotive and Mobility Investment Company to build local manufacturing and supply chain capabilities for the automotive and mobility industry in the kingdom.

The new company will be responsible for strategic investments and partnerships with both local and global private sector companies.

The company’s first investment was a joint venture with Zamil Group Real Estate Company, Abdullah Ibrahim Alkhorayef Sons Company and Dar Al-Himmah Projects Company Limited to develop an automotive logistics hub in King Abdullah Economic City to serve the aftermarket parts industry. 

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So far Dubai has emerged as the top Gulf contender for driverless car technology, after Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority signed an agreement in 2021 with General Motors for self-driving taxis and road-hailing services in the emirate. 

The Dubai Smart Mobility Strategy aims to convert 25 percent of total journeys into trips via self-driving transportation by 2030, including driverless rail transport.

Saudi Arabia has struggled to achieve its goal to modernise and revolutionise the country’s transport sector, especially in relation to the promotion of electric vehicles.

There were less than 1,000 EVs on Saudi roads in 2023, despite two PIF subsidiaries – Ceer and Lucid – planning to open EV factories in the country within a year. 

Saudi Arabia has also been trying to reduce traffic accidents. Fatalities fell from 28.8 per 100,000 people in 2016 to 18.5 in 2021, but this is still above the global average of 15, according to a recent World Health Organization report.