Al Masar 28-E-Oct 2010
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Issue No.28, October 2010
8:18 AM
Page 1
The official Monthly Magazine of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority
01/11/2010 Public Transport Day
Free ride on Metro, Bus
and Water Taxi
to Nol Card holders
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Al Masar 28-E-Oct 2010
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Roads and Transport Authority
Dubai
Page 3
Along
the
way
Chairman of Board
andExecutive Director
Mattar Al Tayer
Public Transport Day
We are honoured to extend our best greetings and congratulations to HH Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, on the safe return home following successful treatment abroad. May Allah extend the life of HH for the good of his
country and countrymen.
Marking this happy occasion and in the context of preparations for its annual
anniversary, the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) was keen on encouraging citizens, residents and tourists to use mass transit modes and make them the favourite
mobility option for the population in their daily movement across the city. From the
Belgian capital Brussels and in the presence of a conglomeration of transport decision-makers who gathered to celebrate the UITP 125th anniversary, RTA unleashed
General Supervisor
Aysha Al Busmait
its Public Transport Day initiative to be held on the first of November next, to mark
the 5th anniversary of the RTA, where the Dubai Metro, public buses and the Water
Director of Customer Service
Bus will be available for use free of charge for Nol Card and Ticket holders on that
day.
Editorial Consultant
Maher Al Kayyali
RTA opted to announce the Public Transport Day initiative from the UITP platform
Managing Director
Mohammed Al Munji
ticular in supporting the initiatives that contribute to the improvement of the environ-
Editing Manager
Khulood Al - Sharaf
Nashwan M. Al Taee
with the aim of boosting the role of the UAE in general and the Dubai Emirate in parment, realizing the sustainable development, encouraging residents to use mass
transit modes, and promoting RTA’s modern mass transit modes including the
metro, buses and other marine transit means.
The initiative also aims at increasing the occupancy of public transport means,
enhancing transit multi-modal integration, boosting the leading role of the RTA in
Art Director
Sara Al Mudharreb
upgrading public transport, raising the awareness of various community segments
about public transport culture, showcasing the benefits & advantages accruing to
Layout
Mohd Hassan Al Hafiz
the individual whether through having psychological or physical relief associated
Admin Coordinator
Afaf Al Fayyad
fact that using public transport contributes effectively to cutting road crashes along
Photography
Syed Zaheer Haidar
with a hassle-free mobility and reducing fuel and maintenance costs, let alone the
with the resulting fatalities, injuries and financial losses, besides reducing the carbon emissions from vehicle exhausts.
To promote this initiative, the RTA has approached its strategic partners among
government authorities, departments and agencies as well as private entities, to
RTA Address
P.O.Box 118899
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 2844444
Fax: +971 4 2906661
www.rta.ae
Contact Us:
Tel: +971 4 2844444
Fax: +971 4 2906661
Email: magazine@rta.ae
ensure success of this initiative through encouraging their employees and clients to
use public transport means. RTA will also kick off a promotional campaign inviting
all community segments to take part in this initiative and taste the benefits & advantages of using mass transit modes in their travel across various districts of the Emirate.
Mattar Al Tayer
Chairman of the Board and Executive Director
Roads & Transport Authority
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content
Cover Story
01/11/2010 Public
Transport Day
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman
of the Board and Executive
Director of Roads & Transport
Authority (RTA), announced the
launch of ‘Public Transport Day’
initiative on November 1st, 2010
to commemorate the 5th
anniversary of the RTA during
which free metro, bus and water
bus rides will be offered to all Nol
Card holders.
6
Ministry of Labour’s delegation
reviews RTA’s practices in
communicating with
internal & external customers
Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Board Member of the Roads & Transport Authority
(RTA) has recently received a delegation
from the Ministry of Labour headed by Dr.
Aysha bin Bishr, Executive Director of Support Services, with the aim of reviewing
RTA’s expertise in several issues related to
communication with the leadership and
customers, powers delegation manual, and
professional code of ethics.
10
9
Al Mulla: Hosting the Congress
is a milestone in RTA’s drive
The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is gearing up preparation for holding the 59th International Association of Public
Transport (UITP) Congress & Exhibition in Dubai in April
2011 despite the credit crunch currently engulfing the whole
world, thanks to the consistent economy of the United Arab
Emirates, according to Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of the 59th UITP
Congress.
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
4
Al Masar 28-E-Oct 2010
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Al Masar 28-E-Oct 2010
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Cover Story
01/11/2010 Public Transport Day
Free ride on metro, bus and
water taxi to Nol Card holders
Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA),
announced the launch of ‘Public Transport Day’ initiative
on November 1st, 2010 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the RTA during which free metro, bus and water
bus rides will be offered to all Nol Card holders.
The announcement was made in a speech delivered by Al
Tayer in the 125th anniversary of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) held in the Belgian capital Brussels under the auspices and in the presence of
HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium. The event was also
attended by decision makers of public transport ministries
and authorities as well as representatives of companies
specialized in manufacturing and operating public transport systems across the globe.
“Public Transport Day initiative, which features participation of various public and private entities as well as various segments of the community, aims at boosting the role
of Dubai Emirate in supporting initiatives that contribute to
the improvement of the environment and sustained development, encouraging the public to use mass transit
modes, promoting RTA modern transport network (metro,
buses and marine transit modes), increasing the ridership
of public
transport means, and enhancing the integration of multimodal transport. The initiative also seeks to showcase the
leading role of Dubai Emirate in general and RTA in particular in promoting public transport, diffusing the culture
of mass transportation among various community mem-
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
6
bers, explaining the benefits that accrue to individuals
from using public transport such as the physical and psychological relief, besides reducing the fuel and maintenance costs let alone the fact that using public transport
modes effectively contribute to cutting traffic-related fatalities and curbing carbon emissions from vehicle
exhausts,” said Al Tayer.
In his speech, Al Tayer invited all participants to attend the
59th UITP World Congress and Exhibition that will be held
in Dubai on 10-14 April 2011 under the them ‘Boosting
Public Transport … Action’. “When you arrive in Dubai
next year, you will notice a marked change in our public
transport network. We are now moving over 1 million passengers per day. The Dubai Metro which was opened on
time (9/9/9) can pick you from right inside terminals 1 and
3 of Dubai International Airport. The Red Line, which is
now fully operational, is 52 KMs long with 5 KMs underground and 4 underground stations. Since the start of
operations, the number of passengers has been increasing rapidly till it reached a peak of 135000 passengers per
day and the total metro ridership since that the start of the
operation up to the beginning of September this year
clocked about 30 Million passengers.
“The green line, which extends 23 km, will be operational
in August 2011 including 18 Stations of which 6 are underground. The latest addition to our rail network is Al Safouh
Tram which will be completed in 2013 extending 10 KM in
a centenary-free route with power feed supplied through a
modern and safe ground cabling system, and all stations
will be centrally air-conditioned.
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“The expansion of our Public Transport Network
has also covered buses and marine transport. We are now running a bus network
of 1500 buses travelling three hundred
thousand KMs per day compared
with 620 buses travelling only one
hundred and eighty thousand KMs
per day in 2006. Our bus passenger-numbers have also increased
from 96 Million per year in 2006 to
130 Million passengers per year in
2009 and over 80 Million Passengers in the first 8 months of 2010. To
ensure our bus passengers comfort,
we have installed over 800 Air-Conditioned Bus Shelters. The Marine Transport
network has also been improved with the introduction of the water bus and water taxi in addition to the
renovation of traditional Abras.
“The most important aspect of Dubai's Public Transport
Network is that different modes are fully integrated with
easy transition between metro, buses and marine transport modes to achieve RTA's vision of "Safe and Smooth
Transport for All" and one of our main strategic goals
"From Cars to Public Transport”.
“RTA is totally in line with UITP's strategy to double the
Public Transport market share. Our strategic plan is actually aims to raise public transport mode share from the
current 11% to 34% by the year 2020. Moreover, RTA
has very ambitious plans to build a comprehensive Metro
and Tram Networks. To achieve these goals we developed a framework for Public-Private Partnerships and the
government will endorse it and issue a law to govern
these arrangements.
“To be able to manage the Public Transport Network efficiently, we have developed and implemented several
knowledge transfer programs for the UAE nationals to
ensure they are capable of running our network. These
knowledge transfer programs focus on Rail and
Bus operations and are run in cooperation
with international companies specialized in
these fields,” add Al Tayer.
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive
Director further elaborated saying: “The
improved infrastructure of public transport
systems in Dubai Emirate is an example of
what is happening in the UAE and other countries of the Middle East and North Africa
(MENA) region. The governments in the
region are giving public transport higher
importance in their master plans to ultimately
reduce the semi-total dependence on private
cars. The expected investments portfolio of
Public Transport system Projects in the
MENA Region will reach over 80 Billion Dol-
lars of investments in the coming 20 years.
In the GCC countries alone, the portfolio of mass transit systems exceeds
25 Billion Dollars up till the year
2030. One example is the rail
project connecting GCC countries extending approximately
1274 KMs with an estimated
cost of 8 Billion Dollars. Such
programs require all stakeholders to cooperate in providing their knowledge and expertise to strengthen the role of Public Transport in the region”.
In his speech, Al Tayer praised the
huge role played by the UITP in supporting Public Transport culture in the
Region since 2003. He cited that in 2006, the UITP
MENA Division Office was established in Dubai in cooperation with RTA. “Moreover, UITP held 7 conferences in
the region focusing on public transport including the Metro
Assembly and the first and second UITP MENA Congresses. Of course, this is in addition to the numerous
courses and publications issued by UITP in the past 7
years,” he commented.
In concluding his speech, Al Tayer welcomed the participants to the 59th UITP World Congress and Exhibition
that will be held in Dubai next year. “When you come to
Dubai you will see for yourselves that Dubai is set as the
regional center of integrated transportation. You will also
see that Dubai government has created an excellent business environment and a diversified economy that has
attracted investors from all over the world. Dubai has been
investing in emerging industries and technologies with
innovative strategies in different sectors including aviation, information technology, telecommunications, aluminum production, commerce and tourism,” said Al Tayer
in a final remark.
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7
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Our News
Licensing Agency inks strategic
agreement with JAFZA
The Licensing Agency, Roads & Transport Authority
(RTA) and Dubai Trade; a Dubai World’s company acting
as an electronic platform of external trade and logistical
operations in Dubai, have agreed to a common understanding whereby RTA Licensing Agency will provide
information about commercial trucks to Dubai Trade with
the aim of completing their e-registration and streamlining
their ingress and egress from Jebel Ali Port (The Port) and
Jebel Ali Free Zone Area (Free Zone).
To this effect the two parties have recently signed a strategic agreement in a form of Memorandum of Understanding at the Head Office of the RTA with the aim of e-registering trucks, exchanging information about commercial
trucks movement, and minimizing the need for physical
presence of representatives of commercial transport companies to the facilities of Jebel Ali Port for registering and
updating the data of their commercial trucks to enable
them in principle to access the Port.
The Agreement was signed on behalf of Licensing Agency
by its CEO Ahmed Bahrozyan, and on behalf of Dubai
Trade by its Director General Mahmoud Al Bastaki, in the
presence of several directors, managers and officials of
both parties.
Commenting on the Agreement, Bahrozyan said: “The
Agreement provides for Licensing Agency to provide information about registration of commercial trucks and light
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
8
trucks in an electronic format whereby Dubai Trade can
access them online. Licensing Agency will also be providing a full package of e-registration data and continue providing updates related to new registrations, amendments
and cancellations on daily basis. Licensing Agency undertakes to offer full support required during and after the
designing and application of this service model, while the
two parties pledged to carry out all works needed for
upgrading such services online in a way that serves the
purpose and objectives of this Agreement”.
“RTA is seeking to broaden and improve its relationships
with government, semi-government and private entities in
carrying out their projects, initiatives and plans as it is
keen on enhancing the cooperation and the concerted
efforts of all parties seeking to make effective contribution
in building the future of Dubai Emirate, and boosting its
reputed standing as a premier economic, business and
tourist hub in the region,” continued Bahrozyan.
For his part the Director General of Dubai Trade Mahmoud Al Bastaki expressed his deep delight with the signing of this Agreement with Licensing Agency considering
its massive importance in easing the registration of commercial vehicles in a transparent and quick manner that
enhances offering classy services to clients in this vital
segment of commercial transport sector”.
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Ministry of Labour’s delegation
reviews RTA practices in communicating
with internal & external customers
Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Board Member of
the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has
recently received a delegation from the Ministry
of Labour headed by Dr. Aysha bin Bishr, Executive Director of Support Services, with the aim
of reviewing RTA expertise in several issues
related to communication with the leadership
and customers, powers delegation manual, and
professional code of ethics.
In the outset of the meeting, Al Mulla welcomed
the visiting delegation and stressed RTA’s keen
attention towards boosting the cooperative relations and sharing expertise with all strategic partners in various
fields with the aim of upgrading the working environment, maximizing the productivity, and improving the quality of services rendered to customers.
“RTA assigns considerable attention to customers and seeks to
win their satisfaction as they are the ultimate judge of the level of
services rendered to the public. Accordingly, RTA Customers
Council was formed and the Council used to hold preplanned regular sessions with customers to get their feedbacks and comments on topics discussed in each session in an environment
characterized by the freedom of expression; where all participants can express their opinions and make contributions. Sessions held by Customer Council have contributed to revising several procedures and services based on the discussions and suggestions raised by customers,” said Al Mulla.
For her part Dr. Aysha in Bishr hailed the huge achievements
made by the RTA in upgrading roads & transportation sector in
Dubai Emirate. She described RTA expertise as rich & pioneer;
which had and does boost the image of Dubai Emirate across the
region. She expressed her admiration of the successful RTA distinguished administrative experiment in the field of customer
service, and the relationship with the strategic partners inside and
outside the UAE. She also commended the approach adopted by
HR & Development Department and the communication with the
RTA senior leadership.
The meeting was attended from the RTA by Laila Mohammed
Taher, Director of the Office of RTA Chairman of the Board and
Executive Director; Sumaiya Belsilah, Acting Director of Human
Resources & Development; and Khalaf Khalaf, Acting Director of
Development and Corporate Performance. From the Ministry of
Labour attended Aysha Belharif, Director of Labour Offices; Hussein Ali, Director of Inspection; Zamzam Al Hamadi, Director of
Corporate Government Excellence; and Abdul Rahman Al Hamadi, Deputy Director of Government Communication.
Laila Mohammed Taher briefed the delegation on the mission
and values of the Office of RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director and said: “RTA communication program aims at
realizing the strategic goal of Customers First. It also aims at
boosting the communication and the cooperative spirit between
the senior leadership and employees as well as the internal communication among employees and external communication with
stakeholders, suppliers and the community, beside exchanging
expertise and easing the procedures through effective communication”.
Laila narrated the internal & external communication channels for
H.E. the Chairman of the Board and Executive Director; which
include the communication forum, RTA annual celebration, internal & external visits, and field visits to work sites, as well as participating in events, exhibitions & conventions, holding press &
television interviews, RTA open employees day, and the communication channels through the intranet and the RTA-published Al
Masar Magazine.
Khalaf Khalaf gave explanation about RTA Powers Delegation
Manual; which sets the scope and nature of powers delegated to
departments and sections with a view to improving, developing
and upgrading the efficiency of work procedures, identifying and
classifying customer categories, establishing a standardized
powers reference guide, and setting a uniform and permanent
method for specifying delegated powers and working under them.
He stated six types of powers that include administrative & organizational powers, human resources powers, media powers,
financial powers, contractual powers and technical powers.
Sumaiya Belsilah explained RTA Work Ethics Charter; which covers key topics including fairness, professionalism, impartiality,
general appearance, assuming responsibilities, justice & equality, conflict of interests, and working for the sake of others. She
also highlighted the Excellence Program; which aims at providing
instant reward to the creative students.
The delegation of the Ministry of Labour also reviewed RTA practices in communicating with customers who interact with the RTA
to avail its services. Then Marwan Razzo gave a detailed explanation of the mechanism adopted to measure the quality of services provided by the RTA through customer satisfaction surveys,
mystery shopper, customers council and customer relations management system which enables the customer to deal with one
system only; either through RTA website, the Call Center or any
other means. He added that the system contributed to minimizing
the time taken in responding to customer complaints and suggestions received by the RTA. He concluded his remark by mentioning that RTA issued mechanisms for complaints and suggestions;
through which it responds to customer complaints within seven
days maximum, and to suggestions within 15 days maximum.
9
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Our News
RTA gears up preparation for hosting UITP Congress 2011
Al Mulla: Hosting the Congress
is a milestone in RTA’s drive
The Roads & Transport Authority
(RTA) is gearing up preparation for
holding the 59th International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
Congress & Exhibition in Dubai in
April 2011 despite the credit crunch
currently engulfing the whole world,
thanks to the consistent economy
of the United Arab Emirates,
according to Mohammed Obaid Al
Mulla, Chairman of the Higher
Organizing Committee of the 59th
UITP Congress.
Al Mulla confirmed that preparations for holding this premier world
event are up and running including
coordination with all public departments in Dubai Emirate through
their representatives with the RTA
towards offering the required facilities in their respective fields. The
Organizing Committee is also holding scheduled meetings regularly
and coordination is in hand with the
UITP officials to brief them on all
matters related to the organizational plans along with the procedures
& arrangements for receiving the
participating delegations according
to the plans made, he stated.
“Hosting this global event in Dubai
culminates the worldwide repute
and high profile of the Emirate in
holding exhibitions & conventions
in a variety of economic, business
and service fields. It also manifests the huge confidence
pinned by the international organizations in the UAE as a
whole and Dubai in particular,” said Al Mulla.
“Through holding this global event, RTA is seeking to
reassert the standing of Dubai in public transport industry
worldwide by showcasing the strategic projects & initiatives achieved in a record time compared to advanced
countries with experience spanning more than a century
such as the European countries as well as the USA,
Canada and Australia. RTA achievements are true manifestation of the dedicated efforts made by the Dubai Government to boost the profile of Dubai as a global economic & business hub and a point of attraction for investors
and business leaders from all over the world, considering
the huge significance of infrastructure in all fields, including public transport means, in supporting the business
sector,” he continued.
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
10
“The 59th UITP Congress & Showcase is a splendid
opportunity for participants from all over the globe to
showcase their products, services and solutions in this
field to visitors comprising business leaders, investors and
decision makers in ministries and authorities responsible
for regulating public transport sector particularly in Middle
Eastern and North African countries. Furthermore, the
Congress will be a milestone in RTA drive to showcase its
achievements in integrated public transport, particularly
with the launch of the Dubai Metro last year and its substantial contribution to attract new passengers to use public transport means, including buses and marine transit
modes,” said the Chairman of the Higher Organizing
Committee of the 59th UITP Congress in a final remark.
Worth-mentioning that a senior delegation from the RTA
will take part in the celebrations of the 125th anniversary
of the UITP to be held in Brussels in September this year.
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RTA ups customer satisfaction by
motivating front-end employees as Best
Customer Center Award is launched
The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has inaugurated
Best Customer Service Center Award across the RTA
with the aim of boosting the satisfaction of RTA customers
as well as front-end employees through motivating them
to improve the level of services delivered by RTA Customer Service Centers spreading across Dubai Emirate.
Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Director of RTA Customer Service
Centers, said the Award was primarily aimed at improving
& upgrading the level of services rendered by 9 Customer
Service Centers managed by the RTA judging by the performance indicators and opinion rating as regards customer service.
“While developing the standards of the Award, due attention has been given to complement the motivation package endorsed by RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director H.E. Mattar Al Tayer regarding the motivation
of front-end employees, and the standards set for assessing key improvement areas cited in the perimeters of Customers Results of the Dubai Government Excellence Pro-
gram in its 2008/2009 assessment cycle; which are the
waiting time, service delivery time, employees performance score sheet, results of the mystery shopper and the
results of customer service surveys,” said Dr. Aysha.
“The assessment of the best customer service center will
be carried out on quarterly basis and the Supervisor of the
winning Center will be decorated with a medal and the
event will be showcased in a press release. RTA will
explore broadening the scope of the Award to cover Customer Service Centers run by service providers such as
vehicles testing & registration centers, driving institutes
and public transport stations,” she commented.
“Other objectives of the Best Customer Service Center
Award include fostering a competitive environment among
the employees of customer service centers, recognizing
the efforts made by these centers in serving RTA customers, and enhancing the productivity and efficiency of
employees,” said Al Busmait in a final remark.
RTA: Emiratization hits 11% at Serco;
the Dubai Metro Operator
It was confirmed by Abdul Rida Abu Al Hassan, Acting
CEO of the Rail Agency, The Roads & Transport
Authority (RTA), that the number of Emirati employees
working at Serco, the Dubai Metro Operator, currently
tops 127 employees; which is 11% of the total workforce employed in the metro management & operation
by the said Co.
“The percentage of the UAE citizens employed at top
management positions in Serco is as high as 40%, and
the percentage of those employed in intermediate
management positions is 28%. Emiratis work in various
fields and sections of the Dubai Metro such as customers service, trains operation & maintenance, stations management, ticket sales, public relations & marketing, administrative affairs, security of stations &
trains, training and personnel,” said the Acting Director
of Rail Agency.
He continued: “According to the contract made with the
RTA, Serco will seek to push Emiratization rate to 5060% in the top and intermediate management positions
by the end of 2014”.
Commenting on training & qualifying more Emiratis to
work in the metro in future Abdul Rida said: “Serco has
launched several training programs in cooperation with
universities & colleges of the UAE with the aim of training & qualifying Emiratis to work in public transport sector, especially the rail transport. In the meantime, the
fresh recruits taking up positions in the metro work
team of the company are subjected to intensive training programs on the management, operation and maintenance of the metro. By the end of the training program they are required to pass the required tests which
empower them carry out their duties at the highest
global standards in this field. Once the fresh employees clear the required tests, Serco Human Resources
Department prepares their future career management
plans to enhance their abilities & skills in their respective fields”.
The Acting CEO of Rail Agency renewed RTA attention
to adopt an effective mechanism to raise the percentage of Emiratis employed in the Rail Agency as well as
other RTA agencies. He underscored the importance
of Emiratization which is considered as a top priority of
the RTA and an integral part of the RTA strategy in
keeping with the current development in the quality of
services delivered to all segments of the community.
11
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Numbers x Numbers
Al Tayer: Public transport users
top 56m in the first half of 2010,
119m forecast by the year-end
Wide ranging electronic to systems to ease passenger mobility
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA)
revealed that public buses have commuted about 56 million passengers in the first half of this year and it is forecasted that the total number of public bus commuters
would hit 119 million passengers by the end of the current
year. Al Tayer also revealed an increase in bus punctuality as high as 62% coupled with a drop of accidents rate
to 1 accident per 100 thousand kilometers done. Besides
that he announced that the bus depots at Al Khawaneej &
Jebel Ali would be opened in August this year.
Al Tayer elaborated: “Results of public bus service operational indicators revealed that in the first half of this year
the bus ridership increased to about 56 million passengers lifted in 1.8 million journeys, of whom 44 million passengers used domestic bus routes “urban transport’’ operating over 80 domestic routes covering various districts
and towns of the Dubai Emirate. About 7 million passengers used inter-city buses; which operate over 13 routes
covering main cities across the UAE Emirates. The number of commuters using metro stations feeder buses
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
12
amounted to 4.8 million passengers approximately. The
monthly number of passengers using urban & feeder bus
service during last March, April and May broke the barrier
of 8 million passengers; as the number of passengers
clocked 8,723,000 in March. In April the number of bus
commuters clocked 8,515,000 passengers, whereas the
number reached 8,158,000 passengers in May, 7,973,000
passengers in June, 7,784,000 passengers in February
and 7,633,000 passengers in January. Metro stations
feeder bus service showed increased ridership with passengers count jumping from 622,000 in January to about
one million in May.
“RTA strategy has succeeded in improving the performance of public bus service, increasing bus operational efficiency, and reducing fuel consumption & maintenance
costs. Public transport routes have been restructured in
2010 with a view to reducing the number of kilometers
done, realizing operational efficiency, redistributing the
frequency of the service in urban routes and metro feeder
service, and redistributing routes & buses on depots to
reduce the wasted mileage. This strategy has contributed
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to reducing the number of kilometers done from 8,889,000
km last January to 6,600,000 km last June recording a
drop of 25.7%. Equally the total number of journeys
dropped from 347,172 journeys last January to 246,393
journeys last June, recording a drop of 29%,” commented
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director.
Al Tayer further added: “The operational results in the first
half of this year revealed that bus punctuality reached
62% and the safety & security indicator showed a drop in
the accident rate to 1 accident per 100,000 km; which is
attributed to the increased drivers training exposure, and
higher traffic safety awareness amid drivers”.
“In August this year, RTA will open the two bus depots at
Al Khawaneej and Jebel Ali. Al Khawaneej Depot has a
parking yard for 284 buses; comprising 146 standard
buses and 138 articulated buses in addition to an electromechanical workshop capable of accommodating 20
buses at a time, a supply line for 13 buses at a time, a
cleaning and washing bay for 12 buses at a time and an
administrative building for about 40 employees,” he continued. “Jebel Ali Bus Depot has a capacity to accommodate about 300 buses of the three bus types; standard,
articulated and double-deckers. It also has a 24 bay for
accommodating 36 buses at a time for cleaning, washing
and refueling services. The depot has office buildings to
house 50 employees and residential units for about 1200
bus drivers employed at Public Transport Agency,” stated
Al Tayer.
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director further added that these projects were part of the comprehensive plan developed by the RTA to enable bus mass
transit systems attract additional numbers of passengers
with the aim of reducing traffic bottlenecks. “Such a plan
warrants deploying sophisticated buses with high quality,
affordable cost and wide geographical coverage so as to
contribute to the provision of integrated multi modal transit systems spanning public buses, Dubai Metro and
marine transport. The plan also envisages expanding the
construction of air-conditioned bus shelters & bus depots,
and developing electronic systems & programs such as
the Journey Planner (Wojhati), Auto Vehicles Management, Unified Card, and Real Time Passenger Information
System in addition to Sharekni and Awselni schemes,”
said Al Tayer in a final remark.
Licensing Agency raises AED12m by
auctioning 92 distinguished number plates
The 68th Distinguished Number Plate Auction
recently held by Licensing Agency, Roads &
Transport Authority (RTA) at the Theatre Hall of
RTA Head Office saw a higher public turnout
compared to previous auctions, and yielded gross
returns as high as 12 million dirham following the
selling of 92 distinguished vehicle licensing
plates. The Auction attracted participation of 120
bidders despite the current global economic meltdown and the fact that many of the targeted citizens and residents are currently spending their
summer vacations abroad.
Commenting on the results of the Auction, the
CEO of RTA Licensing Agency Ahmed Hashim
Bahrozyan said that the Agency offered in the last Auction several number plates highlighted by the two-digit
numbers (G 58 and H 91) and the three-digit numbers
(J 333 and I 786). These numbers were instrumental in
escalating the competition among bidders considering
their iconic references to the cultures of some UAE residents, he noted.
“The Auction was preceded by a marketing & promotional drive run by Vehicles Licensing Department in
conjunction with RTA Marketing & Corporate Communication Department that included a press release,
adverts in Arabic, English and other languages spoken
by several UAE residents published in the daily local
papers, internal promotional e-mail campaigns to the
employees of government departments, distribution of
leaflets in malls and car-parks, posting ads in the front
of RTA web portal and other electronic means,” elaborated Bahrozyan.
The Auction was associated with a mini blood donation
campaign run by Vehicles Licensing Department in
cooperation with Blood Donation Center of the Dubai
Hospital with the aim of reflecting RTA corporate
responsibilities towards various sectors of the community, including patients and injured persons admitted to
hospitals.
Worth-mentioning that a Thai delegation visited Licensing Agency on the eve of the Auction to benefit from
RTA expertise in organizing distinguished number
plate auctions, and attended the Auction proceedings
to gain a practical exposure of the expertise gained.
13
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Our Services
Dubai Taxi to revise Drivers’
Performance Assessment System
The Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), Roads & Transport
Authority (RTA), has recently revised DTC Drivers Performance Assessment System through which drivers
rewards and penalties score is measured by means of a
questionnaire circulated among drivers to probe their
opinions about upgrading the system to make it more
attractive.
The CEO of the DTC Abdul Aziz Malik explained the proposed system saying: “The proposed system aims at
achieving a 6% improvement in customer satisfaction and
mystery shopper results, a 5% improvement in drivers satisfaction rating, a 2% improvement in the rate of traffic
accidents per 100,000 in which DTC drivers are involved,
an 11% reduction in traffic offences per 100,000 km, a
reduction of complaints rate per 100,000 km, and a 2%
increase in the average daily revenue.
“Rewards offered under the current system are 300
dirham for all categories, but the financial sums of the four
categories will be upped as follows: Category (A):
AED10,000; Category (B): AED5,000; Category (C):
AED3,000; and Category (D): AED1,500 and the total
budget of the system is hiked to 29 million dirham.
“Launching the new DTC Fleet Drivers Performance
Assessment System helps develop a number of objectives such as improving the level of services rendered by
cabbies to the public, introducing an effective daily performance assessment system, reducing the number of
accidents, improving & controlling the poor driver’s performance, and rewarding distinguished drivers; where two
millions dirhams are set as annual rewards for this purpose”, added Malik.
“We track the distinguished performance of drivers and
celebrate the efforts of these drivers such that they obtain
a number of points against the efforts made towards
improving the level of service offered to the public. In
doing so we are guided by a number of indicators such as
customer complaints, driver’s income, income per one km,
accidents, fines and black points,” said the CEO of DTC in
a final remark.
Licensing Agency enhances its
online services
RTA's Licensing Agency has commenced
marketing its new online service delivery
channel. Through the new service, driver's
licenses and vehicle registrations can be
renewed online and traffic fines can be paid
all in a matter of minutes.
Ahmed Bahrozyan, Licensing Agency CEO
said: "As part of the online development, the
Agency had established an individual home
page called a "Dashboard" for every Dubai
driver's license holder and vehicle registration owner; approximately 1.2 million Dashboards have been created."
"A person's Dashboard gives them an
overview of their driving status, such as their unpaid traffic fines, black points and whether vehicles are required
for impounding," he added.
"From the Dashboard a client can see details of their fines
and as well as pay for the above services. The Dashboard
also provides an individual messaging facility. The Agency
will use the message facility to provide general information to clients, such as new service information, as well as
specific client information such as the person's vehicle
registration is due."
"The online service is one of the Agency's most extensive
developments to date. The Dashboard is just one feature
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
14
of the service and was set up to give people a quick and
complete picture of their driving status," continued
Bahrozyan.
The updated online service was launched on May Even
though full marketing of the service only recently started,
more than 600 clients a week were viewing their driving
status through their online Dashboard, before we started
marketing the service, Ahmed Bahrozyan said. The
Agency plans to roll out other services in 2010 that will
also be available from a person's online Dashboard page.
People can see their online Dashboard by registering for
Licensing Agency services at www.rta.ae.
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Dubai Taxi holds first Annual Vendors Gathering
The event, held twice a year, offers a platform to
receive feedbacks on DTC services & facilities
Dubai (United Arab Emirates): The Dubai Taxi Corporation of the
Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has recently held its 1st
Annual Gathering with vendors who represent various service
and commercial sectors with a view to expanding the joint cooperation, boosting bilateral relations, opening up new communication channels between the two parties, and probing customers
satisfaction with the services offered by the DTC.
The Gathering was attended by Ali Mattar, Director of Resources
and Support; Ammar bin Tamim, Director of Fleet Drivers Affairs;
Mohammed Yousef Salih, Acting Director of Fleet Operations;
and several managers, specialists and senior employees of the
DTC.
In a welcome speech marking this event, Ali Mattar stressed the
deeply rooted bilateral relations linking DTC with its strategic
partners & vendors and highlighted the importance of these relations in broadening and upgrading the services offered by the
DTC in the emirate to citizens, residents, visitors & tourists in
keeping with the high profile of Dubai Emirate as an economic
regional center and an attractive venue to investors & tourists
from all over the world. He confirmed that DTC would remain
committed to supporting the private sector and investors put
more efforts towards identifying customer needs and requirements.
“This gathering, which is held biannually with DTC stakeholders
and vendors, is a good opportunity for socializing and exchanging views and comments. It also offers broader fields and opportunities for working as a single team in reviewing the difficulties
faced and looking into ways and means of sorting them, in addition to cementing the excellent partnership relations between us,
and seeking to realize our joint objectives,” said Ali Mattar.
During the Gathering the two parties reviewed the applicable procedures & policies and highlighted the contractual matters, tender
procedures, bank guarantee, signing of contracts and memoranda of understanding, the quality of services delivered, potentials
of improving relationships between the DTC and vendors, and
the key aspects enabling improvement of services and materials
supplied to the DTC, while ensuring that vendors do obtain the
required facilities. A questionnaire was also distributed to suppliers to probe their satisfaction and have their feedback on dealing
with the DTC; which covered the rating of dealing, services delivered by Contracts & Purchasing Section, and the policies & procedures in place at DTC and affiliated facilities.
For their turn, vendors praised the efforts made by the DTC and
the facilities extended to them at various facilities, particularly
with regard to contracts, purchasing and finance. They made
some comments towards improving and upgrading the procedures and policies and the need to accelerate the reviewing of
contracts, and simplifying methods and standards of contracts
and projects commissioning.
Ali Mattar lauded the results of this Gathering where all comments have been taken into consideration by the concerned bodies of the DTC with a view to improving and upgrading the quality of services and facilities offered to vendors in the public interest.
RTA opens a key bridge
at the 1st Interchange, Sh Zayed Rd
The Roads & Transport Authority
(RTA) has opened yesterday one of
the key bridges in the 1st Interchange of Sheikh Zayed Road, linking Al Safa Street with the Financial
Center Street, thus ensuring smooth
flow of traffic inbound from the
Financial Center area to Al Safa
Street towards Al Wasl Street as well
as providing a curved path leading
back to Sh Zayed Rd in the direction
of Deira.
Commenting on the event, Nabeel
Mohammed Salih, Director of Roads
Department, RTA Traffic & Roads
Agency, said: “By opening this phase, RTA has completed
almost 85% of construction works in the main bridges and
roads of the 1st Interchange at Sheikh Zayed Project; which is
one of the key and most sophisticated projects currently
undertaken by the RTA. Last May RTA opened bridges crossing Sheikh Zayed Road providing free traffic flow from Al Safa
Street to the Financial Center Street and vice versa, and
smooth traffic flow from Al Safa Street towards Dubai through
these bridges. All works in the project will be completed and
fully opened for traffic by the end of December 2010”.
“The 1st Interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road is one of the
biggest interchanges in the Emirate, and the total length of
bridges currently underway measures 3 km. Tunnels in the
project extend 850 meters and the
overall cost of the project, which is
carried out by the Italian Salini Co., is
around 617 million dirham,” said
Nabeel.
“The significance of this project is
underlined by its vital location on
Sheikh Zayed Road in the vicinity of
Burj Khalifa and the Financial Center. It provides these districts with a
link with the main surrounding roads
such as Sheikh Zayed Road, Financial Center St. and Al Safa St. This
area is considered one of the busiest
in Dubai with considerable importance attached being on Sheikh Zayed Road and bordering
these vital and important districts for Dubai in the fields of
tourism, economy and investment,” added Al Nabeel.
It is worth-mentioning that the 1st Interchange on Sheikh
Zayed Road allows seamless traffic movement in both directions of Al Safa Street and Financial Center Street, and links
Sheikh Zayed Road as well as the Upper & Lower Decks of
the Financial Center Street. The project encompasses construction of a tunnel linking the road passing at the back of
Mazaya Center with the Road passing behind the high rises
overlooking Sheikh Zayed Road in addition to widening Al
Safa Street, and improving the intersections thereon up to Al
Wasl Road.
15
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Our Services
Dubai Taxi opens technical support
office for employees, customers
The Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), Roads & Transport Authority
has opened a technical support office at its Head Office to receive
daily requests and inquiries from employees, suppliers and visitors with a view to easing the procedures, saving time & effort and
streamlining the daily jobs of various sections.
“The objective underlying the opening of this office is to simplify
the processing of daily requests and to provide technical support
services to a variety of sections including: Human Resources,
Services, Procurement, Financial Affairs, Information Technology, and Marketing & Media. This scheme is in fact one of the initiatives contained in DTC operational plan for this year and as
such would pave the ground for realizing our strategic objectives,” said Ali Mattar Mohammed, Director of Resources and
Support, Dubai Taxi Corporation.
“An internal work team has been formed comprising employees
of various Sections of the Department to draw up the roles &
responsibilities of this Office. During this probationary period, the
team will examine the feasibility of the scheme, the work
progress, receiving of requests and measuring of employees &
vendors satisfaction. For this purpose, the entrance of the Reception has been customized to include all services and applications
submitted besides making other partitions in the offices of DTC
departments and sections,” he added.
“Applications have been divided in categories that include: DTC
employee applications relating to salary certificate, salary trans-
fer, passport handing over and various administrative services
such as stationery & office supplies, maintenance & miscellaneous fixtures, service terminal benefits, validation of systems
and accessories, and technological services in addition to programs, reports and maintenance of systems and equipment. The
other category of applications relates to customers and vendors
and covers releasing retained financial sums, releasing bank
guarantees, processing local purchase orders, registration of
suppliers, buying tender documents, collection and delivery of
cheques, processing the paying installments to clients and providing deferred payment coupon vouchers among others”, continued Ali Mattar.
He stressed that the new Office would receive applications both
electronically and manually pending the completion of automation
of all applications and online services project in the context of
DTC’s efforts to upgrade its e-services. All concerned bodies and
employees of the DTC as well as customers and visitors had
been intimated on the opening of this Office.
The Director of Resources and Support expressed his thanks and
appreciation to everyone who contributed to the completion and
opening of this Office which would pay dividends in the near
future. He called on visitors and vendors to deal with this office in
following up all their transactions & applications, and direct any
inquiries or comments contributing to the improvement of the
DTC services through this Office as well.
Dubai Taxi Corporation launches new vehicles for
special needs service, improves existing ones
The Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), member in the Roads & Transport
Authority (RTA) has launched two brand new vehicles for serving special needs and introduced structural improvements on others currently in service to cope with the modern requirements of serving this category. The launch was made in a ceremony held last Thursday at
Heritage Village, Shindagha, in the context of RTA vision to provide
Safe & Smooth Transport for All.
The ceremony, which included a group Iftar, was attended by the
CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation Abdul Aziz Malik, Yousef Al Ali, Director Fleet Operations, and Ali Mattar Mohammed, Director of
Resources & Support Department in
addition to several other RTA officials
and representatives of Dubai Police
and sponsors of this initiative (Al Futtaim Motors, Juma Al Majid, Hyundai,
Al Zarouni International Equipment
Co., Dobowi Tires Co., Al Rostamani-Nissan Co., Kassab Media and
Advertising Co.).
Commenting on the initiative, the
CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation
Abdul Aziz Malik said: “This initiative is part of
the strategy of the RTA and DTC and their social responsibilities
towards various segments of the community, including special need
persons. It is also part and parcel of DTC’s operational plan for this
year aiming at boosting its social contribution, enhancing the level of
service rendered to customers, and ensuring effective marketing of
these services.
“DTC is launching today two new vehicles to serve special need persons offered as gifts from Al Futtaim Motors and Juma Al Majid, the
sponsors of this community service, in the context of the ongoing partnership between the DTC and its permanent suppliers. Such sponsorship will contribute to improving and upgrading this community serv-
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
16
ice to the highest possible level such that it will have a definite positive impact on this community segment i.e. special need persons.
RTA and DTC are keen on upgrading the quality of services and facilities offered to special need persons and their peers from all walks of
the community in view of the paramount importance of taxi sector and
its vital role in enhancing the tourist profile of the Emirate and its
standing as a premier economic & business hub in the region.
“DTC, in conjunction with the sponsors (Al Zarouni International
Equipment Co., Dobowi Tires Co., Al Rustomani-Nissan Co., Kassab
Media and Advertising Co.), has carried out modifications and
improvements on the two vehicles currently in service in
terms of external shape by introducing different
designs & images depicting the evolution
and old history of Dubai, and fitted
them with free-to-use services such a
mini fridge for beverages and a monitor to display DTC promotional ads
and footage” added Malik.
“This service will be available roundthe-clock through placing orders
with Booking & Dispatch Center (Tel:
04-2080808) or by hailing a taxicab directly from the street. The fare
will be the same applicable to the van vehicles deployed in the fleet.
Meter opening charge from 06.00 am to 10.00 pm will be 6 dirham for
direct hailing from the street or booking through the Booking & Dispatch Center, and 25 dirham in case the vehicle starts off the Dubai
International Airport. Meter opening charge from 10.00 pm to 06.00
am will be 7 dirham for direct hailing from the street or booking
through the Booking & Dispatch Center, and 25 dirham in case the
vehicle starts off the Dubai International Airport and the fare per kilometer done is 1.75 dirham. Car rental service will be available on this
type of vehicles within Dubai Emirate only at a rate of 500 dirham per
6 hours and 800 dirham per 12 hours.
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Community Saeety
RTA calls on motorists to shun over-speeding
Maitha bin Udai: RTA adopts a new strategy for fixing
speed limits on Dubai roads at world-class standards
The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) revealed that Speed Management Strategy Project, which has been rolling on since mid of
June 2009 featuring participation of several stakeholders, is nearing
completion. RTA stated that fixing the proper speed limit according to
the design of road is a key factor in ensuring the safety of road users,
and that the compliance with the specified speed limits contributes to
a better traffic flow and avoidance of crashes along with the consequential losses in lives and properties.
“RTA will soon finalize the Speed Manual detailing the strategies and
procedures of fixing the speed limits on Dubai roads in accordance
with the best and modern global standards,” announced engineer
Maitha bin Udai, CEO of RTA Traffic & Roads Agency. She commented on the contents of the Manual which includes:
Setting the optimum correlation between speed limits and traffic flow.
Defining and enhancing the basic engineering elements set for
addressing dangerous speeds.
Intensifying ad campaigns to highlight the hazards of over-speeding.
Assessing the optimal speed margin levels.
Reviewing road designing manuals as far as fixing the speed limits is
concerned.
Developing principles & procedures for fixing the speed limits and
reviewing the current speed limits.
Carrying out a site survey of roads and speed limits, and raising recommendations.
Engineer Maitha revealed that there was an increase in road accidents fatalities as a result of high speed during the first three months
of 2010 where 10 cases were reported compared to 7 cases during
the same period last year.
She called on road users to exercise caution during driving and not to
exceed the speed limits as over-speeding risks have become a major
cause of fatal traffic accidents as they were responsible for 20% of
fatalities. “The year 2009 witnessed 101 accidents triggered by excessive speeds resulting in 42 fatalities i.e. 18.7% of fatalities reported
last year; which clocked 225 fatalities,” she noted.
Maitha pointed out that the high fatality rate seen in the first quarter of
the year was matched by a reduction in traffic accident rates where
22 accidents were reported resulting in 40 casualties, whereas overspeeding led to 48 accidents resulting in 63 casualties during the
same period of last year.
She continued: “Adhering to the fixed driving speed is one of the highly effective measures in minimizing traffic accidents. Speed fixing
mechanism is based on accurate engineering standards including the
designed driving speed, actual driving speed level observed by most
drivers, urbanization level on both sides of the road, pedestrian movement, schools & mosques, traffic volume, and the high possibility of
sustaining serial accidents (involving multiple vehicles).
“Over-speeding renders the driver unable to control the steering
wheel and deprives him or her of an ample opportunity to identify the
appropriate options when suddenly confronted by a traffic situation.
Many drivers are liable to multiple risks that sometimes cost them
their lives due to their persistence on driving at high speed, let alone
the costs incurred by the community and government entities.
“Excessive speed does not always end in realizing the objective of
reaching the intended destination, but rather results in multiplying the
risks of sustaining crashes as concluded in the study which proves
that the probability of sustaining crashes rises dangerously with the
speed acceleration.
“We, in the RTA, are seeking to share with all road users the results
of analyzing traffic accidents and studies to educate and acquaint
them with the risks of over-speeding along with the resulting human
and material losses. During the awareness programs we launch, we
also attempt to focus on providing relevant information & statistics
together with live examples of individuals hospitalized as a result of
injuries sustained in traffic accidents,” explained Maitha.
The CEO of Traffic & Roads Agency stressed the importance of traf-
fic studies and projects undertaken by the RTA in the field of traffic
safety and cited several speed-related measures taken by the RTA at
site which contributed to reducing the number of crashes on Dubai
roads.
“The law is very strict in the penalties and offences of over-speeding
as they are classified among the most dangerous violations to
motorists and road users. According to the law, the penalty for
exceeding the maximum speed limit by more than 60 km/hour is a
1000 dirham fine, 12 traffic points and seizing the vehicle for 30 days.
Road racing; which is another type of speed violation, carries a hefty
fine amounting to 2000 dirham, 12 traffic points and seizing the vehicle for 30 days as well,” she commented.
“In the context of RTA vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for
All, RTA is continuously revising the maximum and minimum speed
limits on some roads across the Emirate, and raises or decreases the
speed level according to the condition and circumstances of the road
as well as the surrounding environment. In doing so RTA is always
maintaining a commendable cooperation and coordination with its
strategic partners in the interest of the community in general and road
users in particular. It follows that the speed limits on some Dubai
roads are managed according to engineering standards as well as the
change in the road condition with the aim of curbing serious traffic
accidents, and applying speed & traffic safety strategies to ease traffic congestion and conclude to an effective traffic system” added
Maitha in a final remark.
Speed (km/h)
105
110
115
120
17
Probability of sustaining
a crash compared with a speed of
100 km/h
Double
4 folds
11 folds
32 folds
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
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Community Saeety
RTA issues Truck Tires Safety Guide
The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has published in early July this year an educative booklet
about Truck Tires Safety in three languages (Arabic, English & Urdu) as part of its traffic campaign
which aims at educating truck drivers on the
importance of conducting tire inspection and
ensuring tire safety.
Engineer Maitha bin Udai, CEO of RTA Traffic &
Roads Agency, said: “This is the fifth edition of
Trucks Tire Safety Booklets and Bulletins published by Traffic Awareness Section in this year
as part of the events and campaigns undertaken
by the Section which also include a bulletin highlighting the key traffic mistakes and how to avoid
them; which was published during the Gulf Traffic
Week”.
She added: “Truck Tires Safety Guide targets
drivers of heavy vehicles and will be distributed in
cooperation with Jebel Ali Police Station at trucks
assembly points in Jebel Ali, Fruits & Vegetables
Market and truck drivers rest house near Al Awir
Sewage Station, in addition to key transportation companies
operating trucks. The campaign, which is run during the current
month of July, is part of “Your vehicle’s safety is integral to your
safety” campaign; sponsored by the Ministry of Interior and will
last through August 2010”.
Engineer Maitha further added: “This campaign comes in the
context of the Agency’s educative plan targeting road users,
including truck driver. This year’s educative campaigns oriented
to truck drivers focus on educating them on the permissible
height of cargo in Dubai roads, the timing of permissible trucks
movement on some roads, and the importance of carrying out tire
inspection and the need to check tire soundness to ensure safe
use”.
Engineer Maitha called for compliance with the specifications and
standards fixed by vehicles’ manufacturers relating to the basic
tire measurements, using the quality and safe products, checking
tire manufacturing date, ensuring the four tires are fully identical,
checking the soundness and suitability of air pressure of the
spare tire, and avoiding buying used tires even though they look
pretty good.
In the introduction of the booklet it was stated: Tires are key components of the vehicle and any defect in the tire might trigger the
vehicle’s overturn, particularly at highways. Traffic safety indicators show that accidents related to tire explosion during high
speed are usually fatal.
The booklet contains diverse information about tire inspection,
impacts of low & high tire pressure, tire cross changing & balancing, how to expand the lifetime of tires, specifications of truck tires
in countries with hot climate, meanings of symbols written on both
sides of the tire, beside tips and other valuable information.
RTA links with five vehicle insurers
In a step to make the vehicle
registration more streamlined
RTA's Licensing Agency has expanded its
service delivery capacity by approving five
vehicle insurers to process vehicle registration
renewals for RTA clients.
This came in a press conference held yesterday morning at auditorium of RTA's Headquarter through which the Licensing Agency
unleashed an agreement it had signed with
five vehicle insurers.
Ahmed Bahrozyan Licensing Agency CEO
confirmed that the Licensing Agency had
approved five vehicle insurers, called Trusted
Agents, to renew vehicle registration for RTA's
customers. It means when a person renews their vehicle insurance with a Trusted Agent, the client can also have the insurance staff renew their vehicle registration with RTA at the same
time. A visit to RTA is not required. The five approved vehicle
insurers are Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance, Fujairah Insurance, Oman Insurance, AXA Insurance and Noor Takaful Insur-
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
18
ance.
"The insurers use the same RTA's online service
that a person would use from their home. As part
of the renewal process a person chooses if they
want the final vehicle registration card sent to
them by courier and when. But importantly, the
Trusted Agent provides the person with an Interim or temporary license to allow the person to
immediately drive their vehicle," said Bahrozyan.
"This is part of the plan to make business with
the Agency easier by reducing the need to visit
RTA. When people renew their vehicle insurance
with one of the five insurers, they can also complete the registration renewal at the same time," he continued.
Linking with vehicle insurers increases the number of locations
that people can now visit to renew their vehicle registration. It
also means through the insurers, that the Licensing Agency has
a presence in all UAE emirates for people to renew a Dubai
vehicle registration.
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RTA Community
RTA’s Women Committee to boost coop
with Dubai Women’s Establishment
Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Director of Customers Service Centers, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) and Chairwoman
of RTA Women Committee, highlighted the importance of
communicating and cooperating with the Dubai Women
Establishment (DWE), the arch supporter of working
women across Dubai Emirate.
A statement to this effect was made in a bilateral meeting
recently held at the Head Office of the Dubai Women
Establishment during which the two parties discussed the
possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding
with the aim of improving the life of the working woman.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Aysha Al Busmait along
with several members of RTA Women Committee in addition to the Director of Strategy & Corporate Planning
Shamsa Salih and Senior Manager of Development &
Innovation Moza Al Serkal from the DWE.
“RTA Women Committee is intending to hold a series of
meetings with several women establishments, committees, societies and social organizations across the UAE,
particularly in Dubai with a view to realizing a host of key
objectives such as enhancing the social responsibility of
the RTA towards a variety of community spectrums, and
exchanging concepts, practices & practical experience in
addition to enriching the knowledge of RTA Women Committee members by having exposure to the practices of
other leading women entities operating all over the UAE,”
said Al Busmait.
“RTA Women Committee has agreed with the Dubai
Women Establishment to foster establishing partnerships
and joint cooperation in several episodes including holding of joint workshops & training courses, transferring
knowledge, sharing expertise, publishing leaflets & booklets, and coordinating participation in conferences & workshops held outside the UAE,” she elaborated.
The meeting explored the successful role assumed by the
Dubai Women Establishment in advocating the pioneer
scheme of establishing nurseries in the Government
Departments, and reviewed the increased productivity of
women working in the government entities following the
introduction of the scheme.
For her part Shamsa Salih, Director of DWE Strategy &
Corporate Planning, praised RTA achievements in building advanced public transport systems, providing the
infrastructure required for operating these systems (such
as roads, bridges & tunnels), and introducing top-class
technologies in this important service field. Shamsa also
expressed her delight with the meeting held with RTA
Women Committee.
At the end of the meeting, Dr. Aysha Al Busmait made a
visual presentation through which she casted light on the
evolution of the RTA Women Committee along with the
achievements made so far, and hailed the Dubai Women
Establishment for offering to hold such meetings.
RTA’s Buildings & Facilities Dep’t
cements employees’ social links
Social events organized by Communication Committee
set by Buildings & Facilities Department, Corporate Support Services Sector of Roads & Transport Authority
(RTA) have captured the attention of employees across
the Department as it played a tangible role in cementing
inter-employee social links and diffusing the spirit of cooperation, friendliness and love in the community.
The main objective of the Committee is to enhance the
communication spirit among the employees of the Department in a way that goes beyond the office formalities and
daily work routines.
According to Mohammed Abdullah Al Ali, Director of RTA
Buildings & Facilities, the Department formed the Communication Committee to carry out a host of tasks examples
of which include staging social events and contributions
inside and outside the Department such as the weekly
breakfast, monthly gathering and Ramadan Iftar. It also
attends to organizing & coordinating the participation in
employee personal events such as career promotion,
engagement, marriage, birth, and illness among others.
Additionally, the Committee coordinates the Department’s
participation in the social events and activities at the level
of the RTA such as Women Committee events, child nursery, and RTA annual day, and also coordinates the
Department’s participation in the social activities & events
at the level of Dubai Emirate such as the National Day,
Dubai Shopping Festival, Global Village events, and Heritage Village and sports events. The Committee is also
introducing new social events and activities for RTA
employees as well as their families beyond the scope of
work such as organizing external journeys, family & child
gatherings and sports competitions.
Among the events held by the Committee for the employees of Buildings & Facilities Department was an Islamic
lecture on the second day of the holy month of Ramadan
entitled: “How Should I be in Ramadan” delivered by the
Islamic scholar Sheikh Khalid Mohammed Ismail in the
Theatre Hall of RTA Head Office. The reverend sheikh
urged the attendance to benefit from the holy month in
getting closer to Allah through worships, alms, family visits and other commendable practices that make the
Moslem closer to Allah’s satisfaction.
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RTA Community
Dubai Taxi honours customers in high
demand for taxi service
The Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), has recently honoured a bunch of distinguished business customers in high demand for taxi service. DTC made
friendly & formal individual visits to these customers at their workplaces to assess their requirements in keeping with “Loyalty” initiative launched by DTC last year.
Commenting on the move, the CEO of DTC Abdul Aziz Malik
said: “Loyalty initiative, which continues through 2010, comprises
selecting 10 corporate customers in the first half of 2009 and 10
more customers in the second half of the year with the aim of
honouring these permanent customers who are continuously
using the service of our taxicabs. These customers are our partners and it will be in order to recognize their substantial contribution to raising the demand for DTC services in keeping with our
vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All. Through this
exercise we will be contributing to the improvement of DTC’s
services & facilities and offer our customers a service at top quality standards”.
He continued: “During this year, a new method has been introduced for honouring these top customers through paying friendly
visits to them by DTC senior management in order to meet &
socialize with them, exchange improvement ideas, and attend to
their feedback on the quality of services & facilities offered by the
DTC to customers and passengers. The select group of customers welcomed the new overture and praised the efforts made
by the DTC to enhance the satisfaction of passengers and loyal
customers”.
The CEO of DTC unveiled the details of honourees saying: “Corporate customers were selected on the basis of daily demand for
DTC’s taxicabs during the first half of this year. Jumeirah Living
World Trade Centre Residence, Suites and Hotel Apartments
ranked first as they made 3281 requests for taxi service. Second
came The Meydan which placed 3266 requests, third came The
World Trade Center (2649 requests), and the fourth was Arjaan
Hotel (1932 requests). Fifth was Emirates Stars Hotel Apartments
(1575 requests), sixth was Bonnington Hotel, Jumeirah Lake
Towers (1560 requests), seventh was Emirates Golf Club (1461
requests), eighth was Intercontinental Hotel Apartments (1184
requests), ninth was Montgomery Hotel – The Address (1088
requests) and tenth was Crystal Living Hotel, Layia Oak Hotel &
Suites (1058 requests)”. “This move opens the door for other entities to review the scale of our services used by these honourees,
and how it opened up a channel for those customers to meet the
executives of the DTC to give them further exposure about the
services and facilities on offer as well as current and future projects,” said Al Malik in a concluding remark.
For their part the winning entities expressed deep delight and
appreciation for this recognition which reflected the ongoing
attention of the DTC to its customers spanning a broad spectrum
of sectors across Dubai. They also lauded the improved services
rendered offered and cited the quick response in executing booking & dispatching taxicabs to customers.
Worth-mentioning that DTC fixed the fare of using a taxicab as
500 dirham for 6 hours and 800 dirham for 12 hours.
Tejari honours RTA
RTA’s Women Committee
sign up for Facebook
Tejari, the leading government entity in making contracts, procurement and commercial exchange on-line, has honoured the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA)
as one of the most prominent government entities processing its business contracts and tenders through Tejari portal and in recognition of its extensive and
intensive commercial transactions carried through this electronic government marketplace. Statistics show that RTA has channeled 97 per cent of its online transactions through Tejari.
A statement to this effect was made in a bilateral meeting recently held in RTA
Head Office attended by the CEO of RTA Corporate Technical Support Services
Sector Abdullah Al Madani, and the CEO of Tejari Suhail Al Banna, in addition to
several directors & managers of both parties.
Al Madani expressed his deep delight with the decoration accorded to the RTA by
Tejari, and considered it as another achievement added to the impressive record
of achievements of the RTA, and a great incentive to make further progress in all
fields and fronts.
“We thank Tejari for this meaningful gesture; which bears reference to the attention of Tejari senior management to reward the best users of its electronic platform.
We, in the RTA, are proud of teaming up with Tejari as RTA strategy in this field is
based on capitalizing on the latest technological advancements such as processing transactions online, and RTA has made remarkable strides down this track”.
For his part the CEO of Tejari Suhail Al Banna said: “This honour comes in recognition of the relentless efforts of the RTA and its keen attention on implementing
the standards endorsed by the Government of Dubai as regards online procurement requests as well as auction and contract systems introduced by the Dubai
Government with a view to enhancing the e-commerce and maximizing the
chances of bringing the best results & services to the public and private departments & agencies and their clients as well”.
Al Banna called on both parties to continue with their efforts towards achieving
their common objectives and cementing their bilateral partnership. Meanwhile, he
commended RTA efforts and effective contribution to building the future of Dubai,
adding that Tejari would be ready to lend all sorts of support and advice to the RTA
to process its online transactions via Tejari in a smooth & prompt manner and at
the best prices on offer.
The Women Committee, Roads & Transport
Authority (RTA) has recently signed up for Facebook portal with the aim of broadening its reach and
online communication, and as such has become
one of the pioneer Dubai Government affiliated
committees engaged in a variety of social activities
to communicate with the public through the biggest
online social network across the globe.
“Communicating through the Facebook portal is
part of RTA initiatives intended to capitalize on a
broad-based media exposure via a host of mass
media channels such as daily papers, radios, television channels and websites with the aim of creating
powerful channels of communication with the public. Such initiatives rank among the RTA strategic
drive to provide the latest information to the public,
media channels and those concerned with RTA
news,” said Rawdha Khalifa Al Mahrazi, Deputy
Chairwomen of RTA Women Committee.
“Using these social networks plays a considerable
role in establishing a two-way communication
between the RTA (represented in the Women Committee) and the public, enabling a wide chunk of the
community in general and RTA customers in particular to keep tabs on the news and activities of the
Women Committee posted over these social networks,” she added.
“The public is an important partner of the RTA and
therefore interacting with the public through the
online social networks is considered vitally important,” remarked Rawdha.
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RTA’s Women Committee hosts a lecture
by Islamic scholar Dr. Omar Abdul Kafi
The Islamic scholar Dr. Omar Abdul Kafi was recently hosted
by Women Committee, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA),
to deliver a lecture entitled: “Work Ethics in Islam” in an effort
to raise the awareness of RTA male and female employees
as this topic is critically important for upgrading work mechanism, increasing production and enhancing self-monitoring
attitudes among employees.
Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Chairwoman of RTA Women Committee and Director of Customer Services Centers, reiterated
RTA approach aiming at promoting the awareness of work
ethics and the need to adhere to them with the aim of improving work mechanism and as such realizing the objectives,
goals, plans, projects and strategic initiatives of the RTA within the specific timelines set for improving the level of services
rendered to community members.
“RTA Women Committee is keen on diversifying its activities & events
within the RTA and seeks from time to time to host influential figures
in the community representing a wide spectrum of religious, social,
medical and economic disciplines in addition to holding external
events such as tours to key landmarks and tourist sites in Dubai Emirate,” said Dr. Aysha.
“Work ethics are the backbone and secrets of progress and prosperity underlying the successes made by government, semi-government
and private entities. Achievements made by such entities in various
business, economic and service fields among others are viewed as
indicators of the development of nations and communities,” added Dr.
Aysha.
For his part Dr. Omar Abdul Kafi urged the attendants to adhere to the
work ethics and carry out their duties in full in a way honoured & culminated by Allah’s satisfaction; which can be achieved through giving
much attention towards delivering works on schedules. “This will
enrich RTA work drive and generate more achievements & strategic
initiatives in a way that enhances the profile of the RTA in the community as a premier service provider in the UAE in general and Dubai
in particular, and makes it an example to be emulated by other authorities and agencies across the region,” said Dr. Abdul Kafi.
Through his lecture, Dr. Abdul Kafi narrated several stories and occurrences extracted from the life of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), his
dedicated companions and followers throughout decades and history.
He cited their sincere efforts and dedication to carry out their duties in
full and apply the work ethics which they learned and acquired from
the Prophet. He stressed that application of work ethics is classified
among the good deeds that make Moslems closer and eligible to
God’s satisfaction.
“Work ethics prompt us to monitor God’s orders in public and private
as well as during all works and activities we make. Nevertheless,
some people are lenient in doing their jobs, come late to duty or even
absent themselves for several days without officially accepted reasons, while they continue to be paid for such time, without feeling that
they take something they are not entitled to. It is noticeable that some
employees take matters related to job performance very light as if
doing their jobs sincerely is a sort of volunteer activity, and this leads
to low employee productivity in general, particularly in the government
sector,” said Dr. Abdul Kafi in a final comment.
RTA shares its expertise in documentation,
e-archiving with a delegation from Ajman Government
The Administrative Services Department,
Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), has
recently briefed a visiting delegation from
Ajman Emirate comprising representatives of
several government bodies such as the
Financial & Administrative Dep’t, Municipality
& Planning Dep’t, Lands & Properties Dep’t
and Ajman Free Zone Authority on its expertise in the field of documentation and earchiving.
The visiting delegation, which was headed by
Sheikha Mira Humaid Al Nu’aimi, projects
coordinator, Information Systems Division, Financial & Administrative Dep’t, Ajman, was accompanied by Nabeel Yousef Al Ali, Director of Administrative Services Dep’t, RTA Corporate Administrative
Support Services Sector.
Al Ali explained that the visiting delegation reviewed RTA Administrative Services Department’s expertise in documentation and earchiving, and the extent to which this aspect is contributing to
developing and simplifying work procedures by minimizing the scale
of paper-based transactions. The delegation also checked the significance of this scheme in converting the paper stock into an electronic archive, providing the required information and offering staff
training beside realizing the objectives
of the scheme in providing additional
office space, preserving documents,
minimizing the use of paper, cutting
storage & retrieval time & cost, easing
document search & retrieval and standardizing & documenting work procedures. He stressed the importance of
streamlining, classifying and ranking
the paper archives before embarking
on e-archiving, and highlighted the
need of concerted efforts of all employees in establishing the e-archiving system.
“All RTA agencies are keen on lending support to all official bodies
in the UAE to benefit from its expertise in various administrative,
planning, strategic and service fields among other fields where RTA
work teams made record achievements that contributed effectively
to boosting the image of Dubai as a premier economic, business,
tourist and financial center in the region,” said Al Ali.
The visiting delegation also included Sheikha Noora Humaid Al
Nu’aimi, engineer Amnah Al Ali, Mohammed Jasim Al Ali, Abdul
Aziz Al Shamsi, Afra bin Hindi, Sabriyah Mohamed, Abdul Aziz Al
Dosari, Ridha Mohammed and Mohammed Salah Uddin.
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RTA Community
Rail Agency entertains orphan kids in
a journey to Dubai Aquarium
Rail Planning & Development Department, Rail
Agency of Roads & Transport Authority recently
treated orphan kids of Sharjah Social Empowerment
Foundation to a recreational trip to Dubai Aquarium,
Dubai Mall as part of the humanitarian activities of
the Agency towards this segment of the community
in an effort to entertain them and make them happier & cheerful.
The Director of Rail Planning & Development Abdul
Rida Abu Al Hassan said: “This gesture, which
comes in the context of the social activities of the
Department this year, reflects the attention of the
RTA to foster initiatives that seek to enhance the
communication with various spectrums of the community. It also represents a perception of the need
of orphan kids for care and patronage in keeping
with our spiritual values and the principles of our
Islamic religion. During the journey the children were
accompanied by the Director and other staff who accorded every care and attention to these kids in order to entertain and cheer them up.
During their tour of the Aquarium, the children were familiarized with various types of fishes and attended to a briefing about the facility from one of the specialist employees
of the Aquarium.
For their part, the employees of Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation thanked RTA for this meaningful gesture
towards the orphan children at the Foundation, and
praised the huge efforts made by the RTA.
It is worth-mentioning that Rail Planning & Development
Department has earlier this year organized the activities of
World Water Day 2010 in the context of its concern for
protection of the environment in cooperation with Environment Department, Dubai Municipality.
Public Transport Agency entertains
members of Dubai Club for Special Sports in a cruise
aboard the Water Bus on Dubai Creek
The Marine Transport Department, Public Transport
Agency, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has recently entertained 130 members of various age groups of
the Dubai Club for Special Sports as well as several
employees of the Club in a complimentary cruise aboard
the Water Bus on Dubai Creek. The move comes as
part of the corporate and human responsibilities of the
Department towards this community segment with the
aim of entertaining and according them care and welfare
that gives them joy and fun.
“This gesture comes in the context of the social activities
of the Dep’t set for this year in keeping with RTA attention to adopt initiatives that seek to boost communication with all segments of the community and perceive
the needs of the Club’s members for care and welfare;
which also conforms to our religious values and lofty
Issue 28 - October 2010 . www.rta.ae
22
Islamic teachings,” said Mohammed Ali Al Bastaki, Acting Director of Marine Transport Dep’t.
During the cruise, club members were accompanied by
Hussain Hassan Khan Sahib, Acting Manager of Marine
Operation & Maintenance Section, Marine Transport
Dep’t, along with several employees of the Dep’t who
accorded every care and welfare means to these members in a bid to entertain and cheer them up.
For their part the employees of the Dubai Club for Special Sports thanked RTA Marine Transport Agency for
this kind gesture towards the members of the Club and
lauded the huge efforts made by the RTA towards
broadening, intensifying and improving public transport
sector and associated infrastructure in keeping with the
image of Dubai as a prominent economic regional hub.