Autonomous Mobility in Qatar: A Techno-Economic and Financial Analysis of Robotaxi Integration

This article evaluates the economic and environmental impacts of integrating autonomous robotaxis into Qatar’s transportation sector, in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030 (GCO, 2024). The study addresses three primary research questions: (1) What are the projected economic benefits of robotaxis compared to traditional taxis? (2) To what extent can robotaxis reduce carbon emissions in urban mobility? (3) What infrastructural and policy challenges must Qatar address to enable large-scale deployment? Employing a mixed-methods approach, the analysis combines cost-benefit modeling (Springer, 2019) and emission reduction frameworks (MDPI, 2023) with empirical data from Qatar’s Ministry of Transport (MOT, 2024; 2025). Results suggest that robotaxis have the potential to reduce operational costs by approximately 20–40% through labor and energy savings (Springer, 2019) and achieve annual CO₂ emission reductions of 10–20% by optimizing routes and electrifying fleets (ScienceDirect, 2024). Nonetheless, significant challenges including charging infrastructure deficits (JIPD, 2024) and public acceptance barriers (ScienceDirect, 2024) must be addressed through targeted policy interventions. These findings provide actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and investors to balance economic gains with environmental sustainability goals under Vision 2030 (GCO, 2024).