Riyadh to launch self-driving taxis soon

Dubai: Riyadh will soon be home to self-driving taxis, in a significant transformation in Saudi Arabia’s journey toward a smart, AI-enabled transport future, according to a senior government official.

Dr. Omaimah Bamasag, deputy of transport enablement at the Transport General Authority (TGA), made the announcement during a panel at the UJ 2025 Artificial Intelligence Conference, held at the University of Jeddah. The session, titled “Smarter cities, smarter services: How artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things are reshaping the future,” highlighted the Kingdom’s ambitious efforts to embed emerging technologies into its public infrastructure.

“This will represent a qualitative step toward a smart and sustainable future in the transportation sector,” Dr. Bamasag said.

The rollout in Riyadh is part of a larger vision: five cities across Saudi Arabia have now been designated as “self-driving friendly,” equipped with the digital and physical infrastructure necessary to support autonomous vehicles including cars, taxis, trucks, and even drones.

To coordinate and accelerate these efforts, the TGA has established a Future Mobility Committee, chaired by the Deputy Minister of Transportation and composed of officials from key government entities. The committee is overseeing 120 projects aimed at modernizing transport nationwide, including 16 focused specifically on leveraging artificial intelligence to drive smart mobility.

Dr. Bamasag also highlighted key developments in public transit. Electric bus networks have recently launched in Tabuk and Jeddah, bringing the total number of Saudi cities with electric public transport services to 17.

Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE