Dubai: Drivers will be able to save precious hours of their time and millions of dirhams in revenue annually once autonomous vehicles will come into operation, experts at a conference in Dubai agreed.
An expert speaking on the first day of the Smart Parking UAE conference on Wednesday said that autonomous technology will not require people to go around and wait for parking as the driverless vehicles will mostly pick up and drop off passengers, which will mean more than half of the parking spaces will be redundant, saving millions in operational cost.
In most mega cities around the world, every year billions of dirhams are wasted and valuable time in people’s daily life is lost as drivers spend hours looking for a parking spot, while millions more consumed in operating parking spaces.
According to a recent study, drivers across the world spend an average of 17 hours per year in search of parking, which could otherwise be used productively or in leisure.
The study also shows that an individual wastes around Dh1,000 in fuel and energy required in going around in search of parking, which is in addition to the parking fees paid on a daily basis.
While specific local data on parking is unavailable, according to Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), which targets automation of 25 per cent road trips in Dubai, the city will see a 44 per cent cut in cost of transportation which includes parking when it meets the autonomous transportation target. More info
