Dubai says to promote driverless vehicles

Dubai: Dubai will introduce legislation to promote the use of driverless vehicles and invite companies to propose automated transport systems for the emirate, the government said on Monday.

The fast-growing city state, which has about 2.5 million permanent residents, aims to make 25 percent of its transport - both public and private - driverless by 2030.

That should save 22 billion dirhams ($6 billion) in annual costs through greater efficiency and fewer accidents, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said.

The government will focus on innovations such as autonomous buses and taxis, it said. It did not give details of the legislation or its plans to introduce new transport systems.