INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Volkswagen Group and Qatar have agreed to develop a public transit system of autonomous shuttles and buses by 2022 for the capital city of
Doha.
The agreement signed Saturday by VW Group and the Qatar Investment Authority is an expansive project that will involve four brands
under VW Group, including Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania, its shared ride service MOIA and Audi subsidiary Autonomous Intelligent
Driving, or AID.
The aim is to develop the entire transport system, including the electric autonomous shuttles and buses, legal framework,
city infrastructure and ride-hailing software required to deploy a commercial service there
The autonomous vehicles will be integrated into existing public transit.
&For our cities to progress we need a new wave of innovation,& QIA
CEO Mansoor Al Mahmoud said in a statement
&AI-enabled, emission-free transportation technologies will help advance urban mobility, while diminishing congestion and improving energy
efficiency.
The fleet will include 35 autonomous electric ID
Buzz vehicles from the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles unit, which will shuttle up to four passengers on semi-fixed routes in a geo-fenced
Another 10 Scania buses will be used for larger groups.
Closed testing of the shuttle vehicles and buses is expected to begin in 2020
Trials could start as early as 2021
VW and QIA said the project will go live by the end of 2022.
