Driverless Taxi Cars in Dubai: A Guide to Booking Free Rides

 

Residents of Dubai can now travel for free with driverless taxis. The self-driving Apollo Go vehicles are currently offering free rides in areas of Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim through the company's app. However, the same service is also available for a fee on the Uber app.

 

How to book a free ride?

 1. Download the Apollo Go app and create an account.

 2. After logging in, select your starting point and destination within the service coverage area.

 • For example, a short ride from Jumeirah Mosque to Umm Suqeim is currently available.

 3. After confirming the ride, the vehicle will arrive at the selected location.

 4. Passengers can unlock the vehicle using the one-time password (OTP) provided in the app and start their journey.

 

In which areas is the service active?

Currently, this service is limited to Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim.

 • Gradual expansion: As tests are completed and permits are obtained, more areas will be added to the service.

 

The same ride, but paid on Uber

Although rides on the Apollo Go app are free, a Khaleej Times review revealed that the same self-driving taxi is offered for a fee on the Uber app:

 • Short ride between Jumeirah Mosque and Umm Suqeim: 81.20 AED

 • Comparison with other options: UberX and electric rides range from 63 to 80 AED, and larger vehicles like VanXL have higher prices.

 • Prices are variable and fluctuate like other ride-hailing services.

 

Is the taxi really driverless?

 • The vehicles are designed to operate without a driver, but sometimes a safety specialist is present inside the vehicle.

 • The app also states that in some rides, a specialist will accompany the vehicle, indicating that the service is still in a precise monitoring phase.

 

Dubai aims to have 25% of all transport trips be driverless by 2030.

 • Currently, residents can enjoy free rides,

 • but the presence of paid options on platforms like Uber indicates that driverless taxis are gradually moving from the testing phase to everyday use.

 

For many, this experience is a first glimpse into the future of transportation in the city that will soon become a reality.

 

Source: Khaleej Times