Bayanat unveils the UAE’s first autonomous taxis 

Bayanat for Mapping and Surveying Service has unveiled its new fleet of autonomous vehicles under the brand name, TXAI, representing the UAE’s first fully autonomous taxis, reported TradeArabia News. 

TXAI’s ride-sharing services’ trial will hit the streets of Yas Island in November 2021, says Bayanat, a fast-growing Geospatial, Data Analytics, and AI company headquartered in the UAE. 

Phase one will see five TXAI branded vehicles operating on Yas Island, transporting passengers between nine stops that include hotels, restaurants, shopping malls & offices. 

Phase two will include more TXAI vehicles in multiple locations across Abu Dhabi. Although the vehicles are driverless, a safety officer will be present in the driving seat during the trial phase.

The unveiling took place at Abu Dhabi’s Smart City Summit taking place from November 23 to 24, 2021.

In March of 2021, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport partnered with Bayanat (A G42 company) to lead the development and application of autonomous vehicles. The partnership supports innovations in smart transport and is a step towards developing innovative mobility solutions.

Though the initial phase will solely focus on ride-serving taxi services, Bayanat is focused on building a technological ecosystem that will have multiple applications in the near future. This is the first L4-level autonomous driving trial in the entire Mena region. 

Based on the cutting-edge Autonomous Driving Algorithm, Bayanat developed the simulation system, operating system, big data platform, and monitoring system with an accuracy of less than one meter. 

Bayanat CEO Hasan Al Hosani said: “We’re incredibly proud to roll out TXAI today, leveraging Bayanat’s expertise in Geospatial and AI to usher a new generation of tech-forward transportation to the UAE. Bayanat has been strategically investing in different elements on the smart mobility value chain, including data, infrastructure, and MaaS, and we are committed to encouraging local and regional utilisation of autonomous driving technology.”

“We are confident that the technology behind TXAI has the potential to be transferable and successful in other venues, such as public transportation or for law enforcement. Leveraging HAPS & AI, our survey capability will allow us to expand this technology and service far beyond the borders of the UAE,” he added.

Bayanat has been working with various public and private partners, local and international, including the various authorities in UAE across a wide spectrum, including regulation, governance, logistics, software, hardware, data collection, data processing and infrastructure.