Sign in Register
Posted On: 2 January 2022 11:26 am
Updated On: 2 January 2022 11:32 am

Ministry of Transport rolls out self-driving minibus trial at Qatar Foundation campus

Vrinda Abilash
Vrinda Abilash
Discuss here!
Start a discussion
Ministry-of-Transport-rolls-out-self-driving-minibus-trial-at-Qatar-Foundation-campus

In a Tweet, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) has announced that the Ministry, in cooperation Mowasalat (Karwa) and Qatar Foundation (QF), have rolled out the trial of an autonomous minibuswith zero carbon emissions at Qatar Foundation's campus.

Over the next 10 days, the Level 4 autonomous minibus trial will take place within Qatar Foundation's Education City, operated by Mowasalat (Karwa) along a predefined route of 3.2km, at a maximum speed of 25 km/h in autonomous mode. The route passes by Qatar National Library Metro station, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Qatar National Library (QNL) and Northwestern University in Qatar.

The minibus is equipped with radars, lidars and advanced cameras that help the minibus see and recognize the surroundings without a need for a driver. But a Safety Operator will be always on board throughout the trial to monitor and take control of the minibus in case of emergency. This trial will not be taking any passengers onboard.

The aim of the trial, as per the Ministry of Transport is to test the technology to provide knowledge and experience of self-driving vehicles in a real-world environment. This will inform the Ministry's effort in the development of an overarching Autonomous Vehicle Strategy and relevant legislations for governing autonomous vehicles in the State of Qatar, taking into account the technical, legal, economic, social and environmental considerations as well as Qatar National Vision 2030's policies and goals. This trial at Education City follows an initial trial conducted previously within Mowasalat (Karwa)'s headquarters.

The Ministry said that it continues coordinating with Mowasalat (Karwa) in bringing in the latest technologies and best universal practices in mobility with a view to adding emission free modes of public transportation into their provision.

Source and cover image credit: MOT