Ministry Rolls Out Self-Driving Minibus Trial at QF Campus
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Doha – Qatar
The Ministry of Transport, in cooperation with Mowasalat (Karwa) and Qatar Foundation, announces the rollout of the trial of an autonomous minibus with zero carbon emissions at Qatar Foundation’s Campus.
This comes within the framework of Ministry’s efforts to further improve the mobility and transportation services in the country and in implementation of its vision of leveraging emerging technologies in line with best world practices.
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 on board.
The aim of the trial 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 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.