RTA’s new deals to turn two Dubai areas into self-driving powerhouse

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed two agreements with Emaar Properties and Al-Futtaim to establish the Dubai Autonomous Transport Zone across Dubai Festival City and Creek Harbour – areas set to become testbeds for the emirate’s driverless mobility ambitions.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA; Mohamed Alabbar, Founder of Emaar and Noon, and Chairman of Eagle Hills; and Omar Abdullah Al Futtaim, Vice Chairman and CEO of Al-Futtaim Real Estate Group.

Al Tayer said the move reflects Dubai’s vision of becoming the “smartest city in the world” and strengthening its position as a global testbed for next-generation mobility technologies.
“The signing of these agreements underscores RTA’s commitment to supporting innovative solutions and adopting the latest international technologies that advance and enhance the ecosystem of sustainable and smart mobility in Dubai,” he noted at the Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport 2025, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Festival City, Creek Harbour, and Al Jaddaf will serve as initial hubs for robotaxi operations, along with other autonomous modes such as self-driving abras, delivery robots, and driverless shuttle buses.

The 12-sq-km zone will feature 20 km of roads served by Robobuses and Roboshuttles, 10 km of waterways by autonomous Roboboats and 3.8 km covered by delivery robots.

Dubai has set an ambitious target: 25 per cent of all trips in the city to be driverless by 2030. The latest partnerships mark another step toward achieving that goal.