Ras Al Khaimah to Test Driverless Cars in Homes and Shops at RAK Properties' Mina

The trials will move autonomous vehicles out of controlled test areas and into the residential communities and mixed-use districts where people live and shop. RAKTA said the aim is to see how the vehicles cope with everyday conditions, find problems early and work out what is needed before the technology can be used more widely across the emirate.

The agreement was signed by Esmaeel Hasan Al Blooshi, Director General of RAKTA, and Sameh Muhtadi, Chief Executive Officer of RAK Properties, at the launch of Ras Al Khaimah's Autonomous Mobility Framework and Autonomous Vehicle Sandbox, held in the presence of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. The National dated that launch to October 30, when RAKTA signed 10 partnership agreements with government bodies, technology companies, universities and research institutions.

Al Blooshi said testing in real-world environments was an important step in judging whether the technology is ready for practical deployment. Working with property developers, he said, lets the authority assess autonomous mobility across different kinds of urban settings rather than depending only on closed test sites. The trials will follow approved technical and regulatory requirements and take account of each location's conditions, the authority said.

Muhtadi said the arrangement would let the developer watch how new transport technology performs as Mina grows. "Working together with our close partners at RAKTA for the Autonomous Vehicle Sandbox initiative is a unique opportunity to observe, monitor, and stress-test the very latest transport solutions as they are deployed across Mina's expanding urban environment," he said.

Ras Al Khaimah is the latest emirate to build out a testing regime for self-driving transport, following larger programmes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It already runs autonomous RoboBus trials on Al Marjan Island and, according to The National, expanded robotaxi testing to the Al Dhait South area alongside the sandbox launch. The sandbox is also intended to attract international autonomous vehicle and smart mobility companies to the emirate.

Neither RAKTA nor RAK Properties has said when vehicles will start running at Mina, which companies will supply them or how long the trials will last.