Dubai transport sector's Covid-19 response among the world's best

Experts have lauded how Dubai's transportation sector responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying it was on par with other developed countries such as Taiwan and Singapore.

In a recent meeting held to discuss post-Covid-19 challenges, the Dubai Future Council for Transportation, along with a number of experts, hailed the efforts of the emirate's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in maintaining a high safety standard for both riders and employees.

They said it was a remarkable achievement, considering that Dubai had not been exposed to the SARS outbreak like Taiwan and Singapore.

The meeting was chaired by Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, and chairman of the Dubai Future Council for Transportation. Also in attendance were RTA board members and a host of local and global future fore-sighting experts.

Pondering on the future of transportation post Covid-19, the meeting discussed how the sector would be able to overcome the challenges that emerged from the pandemic. Based on such deliverables, the RTA will tailor future scenarios to cope with the current situation.

Al Tayer praised the ideas proposed by members of the council, saying the initiatives presented all fall in line with the national strategy to keep pace with the evolution of the transportation industry.

Attendees included John Roth, president and managing director of GM Africa and the Middle East; Laurence Batlle, president of RATP Dev Executive Board; Ralph Barron, ADL Partner; Jerome Glenn, Futurist and CEO of the Millennium Project; Prof. Peter Jones, Professor of Transport and Sustainable Development, University College London (UCL); Colonel Mohammed Ali Karam, Director of Traffic Technologies Dubai Police; and Abdulla Al Madani.

Attendees from RTA included Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of Public Transport Agency; Amair Saleem, Director of Knowledge and Innovation; and Rashid Al Sheikh, Decision-Support Manager.