Driverless taxis become reality

The streamlined white pods would not look out of place in a sci-fi movie but they could be the future of carbon-zero transport and are being pioneered in the UAE through Abu Dhabi's Masdar City.

The world's first entirely sustainable city demands an eco-friendly method for the 50,000 people expected to live and work there to get around. There will be no fuel guzzling 4x4s clogging the roadways of the 6km sq settlement but there will be a futuristic driverless taxi system which will see more than 1,000 battery powered cars ferry passengers around a sophisticated Personal Rapid Transit System (PRT).