Transport Minister launches trial phase of autonomous vehicles

Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and Chairman of the Transport General Authority (TGA) Saleh Al-Jasser launched today the initial pilot phase of autonomous vehicles in Riyadh.

The autonomous vehicles will operate in this phase within a real-world environment, covering King Khalid International Airport and several key locations in Riyadh, which include highways and selected destinations in the city center, state-run news agency SPA reported.

The phase is implemented under TGA’s direct regulatory and technical supervision. During this stage, the vehicles will transport passengers with a safety officer present in each vehicle to ensure safety and monitor the performance of smart systems under real conditions.

This project comes as a result of a complementary partnership among the transport and logistics ecosystem and related entities. These include the Ministry of Interior, the digital economy, space and innovation ecosystem, the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA), and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), along with the private sector represented by technology and operations partners Uber, WeRide and AiDriver.

The autonomous vehicles are ten times safer than those driven by humans, Al-Jasser said, in an interview with Al Ekhbariya TV channel.