The Ministry of Transport (MOT), in cooperation with Mowasalat (Karwa) and Qatar Foundation, announced the trial of an autonomous minibus with zero carbon emissions at Qatar Foundation's Campus.

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.

Source: Government of Qatar