• Abdulla Al Marzouqi: We are honoured by this award, which highlights the contribution of Abu Dhabi Mobility to the emirate's sustainable development vision.

Abu Dhabi - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), represented by Abu Dhabi Mobility (AD Mobility), won two prestigious awards in sustainable mobility. This achievement reaffirms its leading role in adopting and promoting sustainable transport concepts. The awards were presented during the ceremony of the Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport, considered one of the most prestigious awards in the Middle East, in its thirteenth edition, organised by the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai.

His Excellency Abdulla Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Director General of the Integrated Transport Centre, received the awards from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, who honoured the winning government entities, institutions, companies, and individuals. Aiming to encourage them to contribute to adopting sustainable transport solutions, preserving the environment, and enhancing mobility safety standards.

His Excellency Abdulla Mohammed Al Marzouqi expressed his pride in Abu Dhabi Mobility winning the two awards on this occasion. He noted that Abu Dhabi Mobility aims to achieve its vision and plans to play an active and positive role in achieving the emirate's vision in the fields of sustainable mobility, safety, and environmental conservation in Abu Dhabi. He stressed the importance of raising awareness, fostering a sense of responsibility, and the necessity of encouraging and promoting creativity, leadership, and the pursuit of innovative initiatives in various fields of mobility.

Al Marzouqi extended his appreciation to the teams, affirming that the growing efforts between Abu Dhabi Mobility and strategic partners have led to significant outcomes in enhancing the sustainable transport system in Abu Dhabi and bolstering the maintenance of road safety advancements. Moreover, they have embraced sustainable development principles and reinforced the concept of secure mobility for all road users.

Abu Dhabi Mobility won both awards in first place after a careful selection and evaluation process by the award's judging committee, which is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the Middle East. The first award was for achieving first place in the Transport Safety category. This recognition acknowledges its efforts in enhancing traffic safety for the motorcycle delivery sector, which has seen significant growth in usage in Abu Dhabi and the emirates. Recognising the sector's societal and economic impact, several regulatory measures have been implemented to lessen risky behaviours and traffic accidents, thereby elevating the level of road safety for this segment of road users and this vital sector in Abu Dhabi.

The efforts of the working teams involved the creation of tailored guidelines and standards for delivery motorcycles, along with regulatory and educational resources for drivers. These endeavours were aimed at improving their training and awareness. Furthermore, collaboration with the private sector facilitated the establishment of rest areas for delivery drivers and the regulation of their prolonged working hours. Additionally, specialised tracking devices and systems were developed to monitor the behaviours of this segment of road users.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi Mobility held first place in the Mobility Management category for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Mobility Initiative project, a leading project that introduced the first self-driving taxi and mini-bus service in the region on public roads. This initiative was carried out in coordination with strategic partners from both the public and private sectors and aims to develop a flexible and sustainable infrastructure using the latest transport technologies to improve the emirate's readiness to provide self-driving transport services and efficiently integrate them with existing transport systems. The project contributes to enhancing Abu Dhabi's smart mobility plan and transforming current transport systems into self-driving modes. It directly supports Abu Dhabi's low-emission vehicle strategy, which in turn will contribute to achieving economic sustainability by reducing operational costs and carbon emissions.

The Dubai Sustainable Transport Award holds local, regional, and international significance, with the award witnessing continuous development through the increasing number of participants in each cycle. The current edition saw a significant increase in the number of entries, reaching 170 participants across various categories, marking an increase of 30 entries compared to the previous cycle. Moreover, participation in the award has been expanded to provide opportunities for a larger number of government entities, semi-governmental organisations, and private sector companies to contribute to the development of sustainable transport in the United Arab Emirates.

The evaluation criteria for the award categories cover various factors, with the main focus on how projects align with governance and planning strategies. Additionally, the assessment considers results, sustainability initiatives, leadership, competitiveness, excellence, innovation, knowledge transfer, and the outcomes that contribute to raising societal awareness of sustainability issues and global sustainable development goals.