Dubai, : A technical delegation from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed a series of field tests across four Chinese cities as part of the 4th Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport 2025. With a prize pool of USD $3 million, the Challenge is a global competition aimed at advancing autonomous mobility technologies.
The RTA team, alongside advisory jury members and technical experts from FEV Consulting and Arthur D. Little, evaluated five autonomous vehicles—Robotaxi, Robobuses, a Roboboat, and an autonomous logistics vehicle—in Guangzhou, Xi’an, Guiyang, and Suzhou. The field visits were conducted to assess the readiness and capabilities of each participating consortium.
Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of the Public Transport Agency and Head of the Organizing Committee, outlined the visit’s four key objectives: conducting rigorous field tests, gaining firsthand insight into each consortium’s technologies, visiting company headquarters and factories to explore operational readiness, and defining the next steps for Dubai-based deployment.
The vehicles were tested using a dedicated evaluation framework developed by RTA, which included three major test categories:
• Standstill Tests: Evaluated stationary performance features like sensor coverage, blind spot detection, emergency systems, and mobile app functionality.
• Mixed Traffic Tests: Assessed vehicle behavior in real-world conditions such as speed adaptation, overtaking, and navigating traffic signals and roundabouts. Roboboats were tested for port navigation and obstacle detection.
• Dedicated Tests: Focused on specific scenarios like pedestrian interaction, remote operations, and continuous journey experiences in controlled environments.
The trials form part of RTA’s broader vision for the future of smart mobility. As part of this initiative, Dubai will also host the 4th Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport from September 24 to 25, 2025, under the theme “Redefining Mobility: The Path to Autonomy.” The event, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, aims to accelerate the city’s goal of making 25% of all trips autonomous by 2030.
The Congress will serve as a global platform for policymakers, technology innovators, academics, and researchers to share insights and shape the future of self-driving transport worldwide.
