Dubai’s Roads and Transportation Agency has announced it will be transporting people in passenger drones from Julyr.
The drones will be controlled from a command centre, with no controls inside the craft other than a touch screen to select a destination.
The announcement was made at the World Government Summit, with the agency releasing a promotional video too.
Dubai authorities says there has already been many test flights on the drone – the Chinese eHang 184 – which was first unveiled at the CES fair in 2016.
“This is not only a model,” said Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai’s Roads and Transportation Agency. “We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai’s skies.”
One passenger, with a limited weight of 100kg (220lbs), will be allowed per flight for a duration for up to 30 minutes long.
The drones are reportedly capable of speeds up to 100 miles per hour and can travel 31 miles on one charge of their electric batteries.
The ambitious plans for the passenger drones are in line with those of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He announced in April he wants 25% of all passenger trips in the city to be done by driverless vehicles by 2030.
