{"id":47943,"date":"2017-03-14T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-13T23:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/dubai-set-to-get-major-robot-bus-network\/"},"modified":"2017-03-14T06:01:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-13T23:01:11","slug":"dubai-set-to-get-major-robot-bus-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/dubai-set-to-get-major-robot-bus-network\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubai set to get major robot bus network"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#013;<br \/>\nThe company that created the futuristic driverless pods operating underneath Masdar City in Abu Dhabi has secured a contract for a much larger, driverless bus network connecting Bluewaters Island to Dubai&#8217;s metro.The joint venture 2getthere Middle East, between the Dutch automated transport firm 2getthere and the Abu Dhabi-based United Technical Services (UTS), is to deliver a 2.5km-long guided network from the Nakheel Harbour &amp; Tower station over the new ramp on to Bluewaters Island.&#8221;Fundamentally, advanced transit is the transportation of people (and goods) in a way that is superior to conventional transit,&#8221; says the Advanced Transit Association, an international non profit group of which 2getthere is a member.&lt;div class=&#8221;embedObjects videoWrapper&#8221;&gt;<div class=\"video-container\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7gB8ZxdGgSM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>&lt;\/div&gt;Carel van Helsdingen, the chief executive of Utrecht-based 2gettthere, said the system it is developing for Bluwaters Island&#8217;s developer Meraas Holding will involve a network of 25 Group Rapid Transport (GRT) vehicles &#8211; each of which is capable of carrying 24 passengers per trip. He said the value of the contract signed was confidential.Mr van Helsdingen told The National the system will be capable of carrying 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction.&#8221;And it&#8217;s 20-hour operational &#8211; [there&#8217;s] only a four-hour shutdown.&#8221;The system developed for Bluewaters is a point-to-point delivery network, but with an option to extend in the future. Vehicles have rapid-charge lithium-ion batteries that recharge at stations.The GRTs will run on the new bridge link between Bluewaters Island and Sheikh Zayed Road, but will be separated by barriers from regular traffic. The network is due to become operational in late 2018\/early 2019.&#8221;It&#8217;s taken one and a half years for the whole engineering and design of the prototype. We&#8217;re starting to build the series for Dubai as of July, but two prototypes are already almost finished and we will test them in Utrecht,&#8221; he added.The driverless vehicles will operate using the same method as the Masdar City pods, with a series of magnets embedded into the road network along the route. Mr van Helsdingen said that was a more accurate methods of operating than relying either on GPS satellites or laser-guided systems that can be affected by the weather. A magnetic reader under each vehicle measures the position of its vehicle every 50 milliseconds and adjusts its position accordingly.Mr van Helsdingen&#8217;s company, 2getthere, has been operating automated people-moving vehicles since 1996, when a system was created to carry passengers from long-stay parking sites at Schipol Airport to terminal buildings. Before that, he had developed automated guided vehicles for moving containers around a terminal at the Port of Rotterdam.&#8221;We&#8217;re talking about 20 years ago, whereas four or five years ago Google started to ring all of the bells and say, &#8216;We have autonomous vehicles&#8217;. I think we were the front-runner.&#8221;But the problem with being ahead of your time is the market is not ready yet for it. You really have to survive and to prove that you can continue delivering until the market is there.&#8221;The personal rapid transport (PRT) system underneath Masdar City was launched in 2010.&lt;div class=&#8221;embedObjects videoWrapper&#8221;&gt;<div class=\"video-container\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e91tZHyUtOE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>&lt;\/div&gt;2getthere has also been running a GRT system linking Rotterdam&#8217;s metro station to a business park in the city for 12 years &#8211; a project that was recently renewed and extended.Mr van Helsdingen&#8217;s company last year received a \u20ac4m (Dh15.7m) investment from the operator of Singapore&#8217;s metro and bus network, SMRT, for a 20 per cent stake in his company, while UTS upped its stake in the business to 11 per cent. He said a deal involving SMRT in Asia (although not in Singapore) for a 60-unit system is expected to be signed in September this year. UTS&#8217;s chief operating officer Ziad Al Askari said its Middle East joint venture is &#8220;also working out in Qatar and Saudi Arabia&#8221; assessing other opportunities.&#8221;There&#8217;s a lot of projects in the region that are under discussion,&#8221; Mr Al Askari said.A study published by Bank of America Merrill Lynch last week on the future of transport argued that the US$7 trillion sector was &#8220;ripe for disruption&#8221;, with some developed countries like the United States already witnessing a decline in car journeys. It said vehicle miles travelled peaked in the US in 2005, and per capita ownership dropped by 6.3 per cent between 2006 and 2012.Beija Ma, a thematic investing strategist at BofA Merrill Lynch&#8217;s global research unit, said the rising financial, social and environmental costs of car ownership were &#8220;unsustainable and demand a fundamental rethink of mobility&#8221;.The same report also highlighted the UAE as a front-runner in driverless vehicles, citing Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai&#8217;s target for 25 per cent of all journeys to be driverless by 2030.mfahy@thenational.aeFollow The National&#8217;s Business section on Twitter&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nSource : thenational.ae&#013;<br \/>\nRead more&#8230;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/business\/technology\/dubai-set-to-get-major-robot-bus-network\" target=\"_blank\">Dubai set to get major robot bus network<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#013; The company that created the futuristic driverless pods operating underneath Masdar City in Abu Dhabi&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75ss1-cth","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3155,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/kier-picks-up-dh131m-bluewaters-island-contract\/","url_meta":{"origin":47943,"position":0},"title":"Kier picks up Dh131m Bluewaters Island contract","date":"January 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r \r The UK builder Kier has won its second contract at the Bluewaters Island project under construction off the coast of Dubai's Jumeirah Beach Residences for Meraas Holding.The \u00a325 million (Dh130.7m) contract covers infrastructure and public realm works on the island, and follows on from an earlier deal secured\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49144,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/meraas-bluewaters-island-in-dubai-moves-into-the-building-finishes-stage\/","url_meta":{"origin":47943,"position":1},"title":"Meraas&#039; Bluewaters Island in Dubai moves into the &#039;building-finishes&#039; stage","date":"March 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\r The developer of the Dh6 billion Bluewaters Island off the coast of the Jumeirah Beach Residence island in Dubai said work is nearing completion. Meraas Holding said construction work on the island is now 75 per cent complete, with the project moving on from its structural phase to building\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34556,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/uae-megaprojects-2016-in-pictures\/","url_meta":{"origin":47943,"position":2},"title":"UAE megaprojects 2016 &#8211; in pictures","date":"November 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r New developments continue to spring up in the UAE, among them residential projects, infrastructure and entertainment venues. We take a look at the major ones which have been announced this year or made significant progress during 2016.newslideJumeirah Central, DubaiHome to 35,000 residents, 9 million square feet of retail space\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":165934,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/abu-dhabi-launches-middle-easts-first-fully-driverless-robotaxi-service-with-uber-weride\/","url_meta":{"origin":47943,"position":3},"title":"Abu Dhabi launches Middle East\u2019s first fully driverless Robotaxi service with Uber, WeRide","date":"November 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Abu Dhabi becomes first city outside US to launch fully driverless Uber Robotaxis, as WeRide begins Yas Island Level 4 operations The post Abu Dhabi launches Middle East\u2019s first fully driverless Robotaxi service with Uber, WeRide appeared first on Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Abu-Dhabi-robotaxi-weride-uber-1000x667-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":153634,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/weride-announces-fully-driverless-abu-dhabi-robotaxi-trials\/","url_meta":{"origin":47943,"position":4},"title":"WeRide announces fully driverless Abu Dhabi robotaxi trials","date":"May 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\r WeRide to trial robotaxi rides in Abu Dhabi without human safety driver \u00a0\r \r Source : arabianbusiness.com\r Read more...WeRide announces fully driverless Abu Dhabi robotaxi trials","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Abu-Dhabi-robotaxi-weride-1000x678-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C678&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":164705,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/abu-dhabi-to-launch-regions-first-driverless-car-test-hub\/","url_meta":{"origin":47943,"position":5},"title":"Abu Dhabi to launch region\u2019s first driverless car test hub","date":"November 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Integrated Transport Centre announces plans to build MENA's first dedicated testing facility for self-driving technologies The post Abu Dhabi to launch region\u2019s first driverless car test hub appeared first on Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More.\r \r Source : arabianbusiness.com\r Read more...Abu\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ITC-Abu-Dhabi-Autonomous-Vehicle-Test-Hub-1000x667-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47943"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47943\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}