Includes periodic maintenance and emergency passenger protection

The "Autonomous Vehicles" Law defines the obligations of operators

The conditions included that the vehicle must be operated according to the purpose for which it is intended. From the source

In his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, issued the "Law Regulating the Operation of Self-Driving Vehicles in Dubai" No. (9) of 2023, with the aim of achieving the emirate's strategy in smart self-driving mobility, to transform 25% of all mobility trips in Dubai into smart and self-driving trips by 2030, through the use of artificial intelligence, and regulating the operation of self-driving vehicles, in accordance with safety and quality requirements, and in accordance with the best international standards and practices Attracting investments in all activities related to autonomous vehicles, and addressing regulatory and legal challenges arising from the uses of artificial intelligence in transportation.

The law comes within the framework of the continuous modernization of the legislative system and ensuring its alignment with the ambitious development goals set by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in accordance with His Highness's vision for the requirements of consolidating Dubai's leading position as a model for future cities, and in line with the global technological development that Dubai is keen to keep pace with its various forms within various vital sectors, to make Dubai the best city to live, work and visit in the world.

The law defines the competencies of the Roads and Transport Authority, the most important of which are: setting policies and strategic plans to raise the efficiency, operation and development of self-driving vehicles in Dubai, determining the categories, types and types of self-driving vehicles, in accordance with the standards, specifications and controls approved by the competent authorities, approving technical, operational, security and safety standards, and evaluating the performance of the operator, which is any person authorized by the authority to engage in any activity related to the uses of the self-driving vehicle, including the owner of the vehicle.

The Law on the Operation of Self-Driving Vehicles in the Emirate of Dubai obliges operators to obtain a license from the Authority before driving them on the road, to maintain the self-driving vehicle periodically and on specific dates, and to ensure the validity of the automated driving system of the vehicle to link the systems of the self-driving vehicle with the systems approved by the Authority.

The law defines a vehicle operator as any person authorized by the Authority to engage in the activity of operating autonomous vehicles, including the owner of the vehicle.

The agent is also defined as the natural or legal person to whom the exclusive distribution of self-driving vehicles is established under the commercial agency contract.

The law stipulates that operators of self-driving vehicles must comply with a set of requirements, including compliance with the provisions of the law, the decisions issued pursuant to it and the legislation in force in the emirate, taking into account the nature of the self-driving vehicle.

The requirements stipulate that operators must set instructions for the use of the self-driving vehicle and provide the passenger with them in the manner and means that the operator deems appropriate, provided that these instructions include how to determine and modify the destination of the vehicle and the procedures for communicating and acting with it in the event of any malfunctions and exiting it safely in emergency cases.

The conditions stipulated by the law include the obligation to operate the vehicle according to the purpose for which it is intended, and to provide the Authority and the competent authorities with the data specified when requested. The requirements also include notifying the competent authorities immediately in the event of any accident related to the self-driving vehicle, as well as removing the vehicle from the road and securing it in the event of a breakdown or the failure of the automated driving system in it, and notifying the dealer of this.

The law obliges operators not to use the data obtained by the operator as a result of operating the vehicle for purposes other than those related to its operation without obtaining prior approval from the RTA.

Article 12 of the law stipulates that the agent must abide by the provisions of the law, the decisions issued pursuant to it and the legislation in force in the emirate, taking into account the nature of the self-driving vehicle, as well as compliance with the conditions of the permit issued to him, as well as the obligation to provide standards of after-sales services, including warranty for the self-driving vehicle and its spare parts, as well as repair and maintenance workshops.

The law refers to the scope of application of its provisions throughout the emirate, special development zones and free zones, including the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

In February, DEWA announced its intention to operate 10 self-driving taxis in Dubai this year, with Eng. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of DEWA's Board of Directors, announcing the adoption of smart transport technologies in the taxi sector, and the operation of 10 vehicles in the coming months, as part of DEWA's implementation of the flexible plans and policies adopted in the continuous development of the city's facilities and services, and the application of advanced and sustainable urban planning strategies.

In 2019, DEWA announced the legislation regulating the trial operation of self-driving vehicles, in accordance with Executive Council of Dubai Resolution No. 3 of 2019 regulating the operational trials of self-driving vehicles in Dubai, as part of its keenness to raise awareness to the concerned authorities of the requirements for testing this type of vehicles.