Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) - Abdul Fattah Haidara:

The Middle East and North Africa Transport Congress and Exhibition underway at the Dubai World Trade Center, has continued sessions for the third day running. A work session was held today reviewing smart Apps in the MENA cities and Mobility as a Service (MaaS), moderated by Abdullah Al Madani, CEO of Corporate Technical Support Services Sector, RTA, in addition to specialised keynote speakers from the UAE, Canada and Germany.

Adel Shakeri, Director of RTA’s Transport Systems, said: “25% of the total transportation in Dubai will be transformed to autonomous modes by 2030 and will be smartly integrated with several Dubai's transport systems using future technology programs which the TRA has already embarked on.”

Shakeri also reviewed the features and specifications of S’hail Smart App, which includes all the information about RTA transit modes such as the metro, tram, taxi and public transport buses. Taxi bookings can also be made through the App from anywhere.

Shakeri pointed to the Smart Car Rental Service which enables customers to rent cars using a smart application, without requiring human intervention upon receiving or returning the vehicle. “The RTA takes care of public transport users through 4 stages, from home to the station, during and after the trip. It continues using smart applications in measuring customers’ satisfaction and receiving their feedback. The RTA uses state-of-the-art technology and artificial intelligence in ensuring the vigilance and attention of public bus drivers by analysing their facial features and emotions while driving, and sending them alerts in case they lose focus or feel fatigued.”

Eyad Tayeb, Director of a Business Development Company in Traffic Systems. He outlined the development of public transport tickets purchase starting from conventional money, paper tickets, magnetic cards, telephone-based and artificial intelligence-based (biometrics) in the near future.

“The new ticket purchase system for journey planners of public transport shall be made by creating one account per customer who can use it for payment and reservation from anywhere.

Alain MARTINAIS Director, Marketing, New Markets, Giro Inc., Montreal, Canada, reviewed the benefits on offer by his company to passengers who enjoy the latest technologies, research and studies conducted. He added that the company had established a mobile laboratory to measure public satisfaction with the service on offer and using such data to improve services.

Alexander NASE, Managing Director, FEV Consulting GmbH, Aachen, Germany, discussed a new public transportation experience called "Personal Public Vehicles". The idea is that three people can share a single, self-driving vehicle that can be programmed to serve more than one person throughout the day.

“This initiative, he added, is still in its early stages and there is still time for coordination and cooperation with some sponsors to implement the idea in the coming years.”

-Ends-

© Press Release 2018