Flying taxis. Hyper-fast suspended capsules. Driverless pods. These are no longer in the realm of science fiction, but all being developed right now in Dubai.

With its rising urban population, Dubai is focusing on innovative ways to revolutionise city transport in line with its 2014 Smart Dubai initiative. The vision? A quarter of transportation options to be autonomous by 2030, resulting in less traffic congestion, lower carbon emissions and fewer accidents.

From hyperloop to flying taxis

Smart mobility has the potential to transform cities with solutions including adaptive traffic signals and micro-mobility such as e-bikes.

In a dense city with extensive transit, smart technologies could save the average commuter nearly 15 minutes a day. In a developing city with longer commutes, the improvement might be as much as 20 to 30 minutes daily.

While the main sectors targeted by Dubai’s smart mobility drive are the metro, buses and taxis, other revolutionary smart transportation technologies are also being explored.

SkyWay Dubai, which is being developed in collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), is expected to carry passengers and cargo in driverless pods suspended from elevated rail cables at speeds of between 100km/h and 500km/h. 

For even faster rides, strap down for Virgin Hyperloop One, a hyper-fast electric tube system with speeds of up to 1,123km/h, which may slash intercity travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi – currently over an hour’s drive – to a mere 12 minutes.

Flying taxis are another novel mode of transportation explored as Dubai hopes to become the first city in the world to offer such a service. In cooperation with German aerospace company Volocopter, the emirate is developing an autonomous slow-flying multicopter that is fully electric and less noisy than cars at highway speeds.

RTA has also teamed up with the U.S. car giant General Motors to operate autonomous vehicles as taxi and e-hail services in Dubai. It plans to increase the number of deployed vehicles gradually to up to 4,000 by 2030.

Connecting people and cultures through mobility

To learn more about mobility and how it transforms the way we live, head down to Alif – The Mobility Pavilion at Expo City Dubai. Designed to spark wonder about the history of mobility, Alif takes visitors on an unforgettable journey across space and time.

Named after the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, Alif celebrates human progress and looks to the future: where smart cities and new technologies including artificial intelligence, data, robotics, machine learning and autonomous transportation transform everyday life.

Nine-metre-tall statues of the awe-inspiring giants of Arab civilisation – ancient navigator Ibn Majid, explorer Ibn Battuta and celebrated scholar Al-Bakri, whose innovations all paved the way for the technology we use today – stand in the pavilion.

Visitors can learn all about the historic Emirates Mars Mission, whose Hope Probe orbited the red planet in 2021, in addition to exploring how people, goods, ideas and data move and what it all means.

Even the pavilion’s architecture is inspired by mobility. Designed by award-winning British firm Foster + Partners, Alif’s ribbed and curved shape evokes movement, with reflective stainless-steel cladding reminiscent of chrome fenders and aircraft wings.

The building houses the world’s largest passenger lift, which can transport over 160 people at a time. It also exemplifies Expo City Dubai’s sustainability focus, with heat-reflecting cladding and rooftop photovoltaic panels to take advantage of solar energy.

A new destination for leisure and business

Designed as a blueprint for sustainable urban planning and innovation, Expo City Dubai is a cornerstone of Dubai’s exciting journey to the future of living.

The City’s districts are fully pedestrianised to improve safety and air quality. Outside the districts, visitors can benefit from 68 electric vehicle charging stations in line with Dubai’s drive to promote smart mobility solutions. Expo City also has its own metro station.

For families, Expo City Dubai is an exciting new destination to explore, learn and have fun in. Three unique playgrounds offer the opportunity to learn about the seas and the planets through climbing routes, slides and a 3D maze, while Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion features an immersive journey through the forest’s roots and the ocean’s depths.

In Al Wasl Plaza, a futuristic domed space that can fit up to 10,000 people, spectacular multi-sensory shows and immersive 360-degree projections are open to all visitors, free of charge.  

Expo City Dubai is also fast becoming one of the city’s key business hubs, offering flexible commercial spaces from smaller working areas to larger offices, including entire floors, buildings and multi-building campuses. It offers unparalleled digital connectivity with full 5G coverage, plus the pro-business benefits of operating as a Free Zone in Dubai.