The world’s first self-driving taxis hit the streets of Singapore on Thursday, beating technology giant Uber in the race to be the first to put driverless technologies into operation.
In a limited public trial, select members of the public can now use their smartphones to hail free rides on a fleet operated by nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software startup.
With its Singapore launch, nuTonomy has beaten out ride-hailing service Uber, which will begin offering driverless rides to passengers in Pittsburgh in a few weeks.
Other cities around the world are looking into adopting driverless vehicles to help ease transportation woes. Dubai officials, for example, have said that 25 percent of traffic in the emirate will be driverless by 2030.
To begin with, nuTonomy is beginning with a small fleet of six cars, which will grow to 12 by the end of the year. By 2018, the company hopes to have a full self-driving fleet operating in Singapore, a model which it hopes will be replicated elsewhere. More info
By Staff khaleejtimes.com
