Bridges leading to Meydan Now Open · Meydan Now Open Bridges leading to Meydan Now Open Dedicated Bus & Taxi Lanes Dubai Metro experience in Thailand RTA obtains ISO 20000 Al Masar

The official Monthly Magazine of Dubai's Roads and Transport AuthorityIssue No. 22, April 2010

Bridges

leading toMeydan

Now Open

Bridges

leading toMeydan

Now Open

DedicatedBus & Taxi

Lanes

DedicatedBus & Taxi

Lanes

Dubai Metroexperiencein Thailand

Dubai Metroexperiencein Thailand

RTAobtains

ISO 20000

RTAobtains

ISO 20000

Al Masar 22-E-April 2010 3/28/10 3:55 PM Page 1


Roads and Transport Authority

Dubai

Chairman of Board

andExecutive Director

Mattar Al Tayer

Alongthe

way

Social

Responsibility

Traffic safety and awareness, are the most important pillars of our work in theDubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), an issue enshrined in the RTAVision of providing "Safe and smooth transport for all”; where Safety principletakes precedence over the Smoothness principle:The RTA is keen on active participation in the annual event staged by the GulfCooperation Council (GCC) states; GCC Traffic Week, which was held from 14 to19 March, under the theme (Beware of others’ faults), with a view to raising thetraffic awareness and culture among community members in general and roadusers in particular. Such events, which are necessary for disseminating trafficculture, are not limited to police systems and driving licenses issuing authori-ties, but are rather a communal responsibility shouldered by all sectors, espe-cially educational institutions, sports clubs, and public benefit societies, aswell as parents who bear the greatest burden of educating & enlightening theirchildren on the principles of safe driving and road behavior, and alerting themto the dangers caused by lack of compliance with traffic & driving laws, espe-cially over speeding, jumping the red signal, and reckless driving. The excellent cooperation and coordination between the RTA and the GeneralHeadquarters of Dubai Police, the Ministry of Interior and driving instituteshave contributed to a reduction of mortality rate of traffic accidents in Dubaifrom 21 deaths per 100 thousand of population in 2005 to 12.7 deaths per 100thousand of population in 2009, which reflects an improvement rate of about40%; an excellent achievement according to the international safety stan-dards. This success is attributed to a number of factors, including improvements ofroad network, and addressing more than 120 black spots, which are the areaswitnessing recurrent traffic accidents. It is also attributed to the amendment ofthe Federal Traffic & Driving Law No. (21) / 1995 and its executive regulation,enforced as of early March 2008 as part of amendments, which include theimplementation of more stringent penalties on traffic violators, the introduc-tion of Traffic Points System, and the launch of joint traffic awareness cam-paigns between the RTA and the General Headquarters of Dubai Police. Suc-cess factors also include activating traffic enforcement technologies throughintensive traffic patrols, and expanding the use of traffic control technologies.In addition, the RTA has been improving areas of black spots, which are thelocations or parts of roads network witnessing frequent traffic accidents atrates higher than other places. The success made last year, prompts us to go further to achieve more success-es in order to protect the lives of road users and capitalize on this momentumto improve traffic safety and raise the standard of traffic culture among drivers.

Mattar Al Tayer

General Supervisor

Aysha Al BusmaitDirector of Customer Service

Editor in Chief

Al Moatasem Belah Mohammed

Editorial Consultant

Maher Al Kayyali

Managing Director

Mohammed Al Munji

Editing Manager

Khulood Al - Sharaf

Art Director

Sara Al Mudharreb

Editurs

Fahad Al MamariNashwan M. Al Taee

Layout

Mohd Hassan Al Hafiz

Photography

Syed Zaheer Haidar

RTA Address

P.O.Box 118899United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 2844444Fax: +971 4 2065555

www.rta.aeContact Us:

Tel: +971 4 2903989Fax: +971 4 2903933

Email: [email protected]


content

4Issue 22 - April 2010 . www.rta.ae

Our News

China & Bahrain selected as pro-

motional platforms for UITP Con-

gress (Dubai 2011)

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board andExecutive Director of Roads & Transport Authority(RTA), together with senior executives across theworld, will attend the grand celebrations staged bythe International Association of Public Transport(UITP) in Brussels (17 – 19/09/2010) in celebrationof the 125th anniversary of the UITP; which willhold its 59th Congress and Exhibition in Dubai2011.

1144

RTA becomes the second organization to

get such certification in Dubai, fifth across

the UAEDubai – United Arab Emirates: The Roads & Transport Authority

(RTA) in Dubai has recently obtained ISO 2000 certification for

the quality standards of the IT services, in recognition of RTA

efforts in applying the best practices and standards provided

for in the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standards. RTA has

become the only second Government organization at Dubai

Government level, and the fifth across the UAE to obtain this

certification.

Mohammed bin Rashid orders paymentof AED26m bonus to taxicab plate num-ber owners

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-Pres-ident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inhis capacity as Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the payment ofAED26,364,000 to the Emiratis whose taxicab numberplates are used by Dubai Taxi Corporation and Taxi Fran-chise Companies of the Roads & Transport Authority(RTA); the number of which is 6591 plates.

1133

66



HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-Presi-dent and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in hiscapacity as Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the payment ofAED26,364,000 to the Emiratis whose taxicab number platesare used by Dubai Taxi Corporation and Taxi Franchise Com-panies of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA); the numberof which is 6591 plates.RTA's Public Transport Agency will start bonus distribution tothe entitled beneficiaries, over and above their annual finan-cial dues.H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and ExecutiveDirector of the RTA, thanked HH Sheikh Mohammed binRashid Al Maktoum for rewarding taxi plate number owners,who are mostly among fixed income group, and enablingthem to better cope with the requirements of life and earn adecent living for them and their families.“These bonuses are part of many other generous gestureswe are accustomed to from HH; which are true testaments tothe support accorded by HH to his people and the attentionmade to their social affairs and living conditions, particular-ly those with fixed incomes. It further illustrates the

Our News


Mohammed bin Rashid orders payment of AED26m bonus to taxicab plate number owners

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RTA opens bridges leading to entry/exit points of Midriff City Center

Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) opens today Tuesdaythe bridges leading to the entry and exit points of MidriffCity Center near Emirates Road. The project comprises a3-lane bridge for traffic inbound from Emirates Road(Rashidya) heading towards the Center, and anotherbridge to serve the traffic inbound from Tripoli Road to theCenter. The total cost of the project was in the order ofAED184 million paid by Majid Al Futtaim Co.RTA's Chairman of the Board and Executive Director H.E.Mattar Al Tayer said: “The Bridges had been completed ina record time to coincide with the opening of Midriff CityCenter Project. The new bridges aimat providing entry and exit points tothe shopping center from all direc-tions through capitalizing on theexisting bridges and slopes in addi-tion to the construction of newbridges. In the design of roads lead-ing to the Center, attention had beengiven to providing direct access tothe Center from various points at themulti-level parking lot in the direc-tion of Emirates and Tripoli Roads.”It is worth-noting that Midriff CityCenter spans an area of 196 thou-sand square meters and comprises430 outlets and is uniquely featuredby 180 new brand names, besides a

spacious area for recreation and leisure activities.The Center provides entry facilities and parking lots capa-ble of housing 7000 vehicles over three levels encom-passing 12 entry/exit points at different levels.Midriff City Center provides a special community area,health clinics, health resort (Spa), personal care facilities,and a gym. It also incorporates an area exceeding 20thousand square meters designated for unique recre-ational and fun activities including a special fun learningcenter for kids,


7 Issue 22 - April 2010 . www.rta.ae

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board andExecutive Director of Roads & Transport Authority(RTA), revealed that RTA mass transit modes (com-prising Dubai Metro, public buses, marine trans-port modes and taxis) had lifted more than288.777 million persons in 2009 and the daily rid-ership of public transport modes exceeded 842thousand peoples. “This number is likely to growwith the successive opening of more metro sta-tions on the Red Line starting from April 2010 andcontinuing over the remaining months of the year.Dubai Metro is expected to commute about 35 mil-lion passengers in 2010 and the number of metrousers is to receive a big boost with the opening ofthe Green Line in August 2011,” stated Al Tayer.“In keeping with RTA's Strategic Plan envisioningintegrated mass transit systems; which is alignedwith Dubai Strategic Plan (Infrastructure Sector)that seeks to have in place an integrated roadsand transportation system characterized by smooth trafficflow and high safety levels to all users, RTA is strenuouslyseeking to upgrade mass transit modes with a view to mak-ing them the favourite means of transportation for the peo-ple of Dubai. This drive also meets one of RTA's strategicobjectives vis-à-vis minimizing the use of private vehiclesand raising the share of mass transportation systems from6% in 2009 to 30% by 2020,” stated RTA's Chairman of theBoard and Executive Director.“In 2009, public bus ridership hit 120 million persons witha daily ridership of 325 thousand passengers, and the rider-ship of marine transport systems (abras and the water bus)was about 17 million passengers. Daily ridership was in theorder of 50 thousand persons in abras, and 1500 persons inthe water bus. “Since it was launched on 09/09/2009 till the end of Febru-ary 2010, Dubai Metro has lifted about 11.29 million personswith an estimated daily ridership of 80 thousand com-muters. This number is likely to rise with the operation ofseveral key metro stations such as Airport Terminal 1 Sta-tion, Karama Station, Trade Center Station and Ibn BattutaStation among others, on 25 April 2010 such thatthe metro ridership in 2010 is anticipated to reach35 million persons. This number will be substan-tially increased with the operation of the GreenLine in August 2011 as it serves vital areas as wellas commercial and government offices, and pass-es across a densely populated area.“Taxicabs in Dubai Emirate make about 192 thou-sand trips every day, lifting about 385 thousandpersons each day. In 2009 taxi trips exceeded 70million trips serving around 140.45 million per-sons.“The huge investments pumped by the Govern-ment of Dubai in developing the infrastructure oftransport sector have proved successful andeffective. The rising growth in the number of masstransport users illustrates the evolution of public

transport culture among all segments of the community,particularly with the introduction of the metro service. “Using mass transportation has multifarious benefits tousers such as bringing psychological relief, minimizingcrashes, slashing fuel & maintenance expenditure for pri-vate vehicles, and ridding the public of the inconvenience offinding a parking slot; which has become one of the chal-lenges facing most modern cities across the globe. More-over, using public transport effectively contributes to mini-mizing pollution resulting from the massive number of pri-vate vehicles, triggering many illnesses; particularly respira-tory diseases.“RTA is always seeking to improve its business processthrough introducing innovative solutions and strategic ini-tiatives stemmed out of its vision of providing Safe &Smooth Transport for All. It is also upgrading the quality ofservices rendered to the public in a way befitting the region-al and global profile of Dubai in the fields of commerce,business, service, finance, property,

Al Tayer: Dubai mass transit modes lift 842k travelers a day and the number set to rise


The Roads & TransportAuthority (RTA) has unleashedthe initial phase of the Dedi-cated Lanes for Public Busesand Taxis Project; which willtake effect from May 1st 2010over selected roads located athigh population density areasand congested spots in theEmirate of Dubai. The projectis based on the Order No(1)/2010 issued by HH SheikhHamdan bin Mohammed binRashid Al Maktoum, DubaiCrown Prince and Chairman ofthe Executive Council, regard-ing the use of dedicated lanesin Dubai roads.An announcement to thiseffect was made by H.E. Mat-tar Al Tayer, Chairman of theBoard and Executive Director of the RTA in the joint pressconference, held yesterday (Wednesday) at RTA premises,with H.E. Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, DeputyCommander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, in the presence of theDirector of Dubai Police's Traffic Department H.E. Major Gen-eral Mohammad Saif Al Zaffein, CEO of RTA Traffic & RoadsAgency Maitha bin Udai, and CEO of Public Transport AgencyEisa Al Dosari.“Launching Bus Dedicated Lanes is actually an offshoot ofthe fourth Strategic Goal of the RTA to encourage the use ofmass transportation. The project concept is based on dedi-cating a lane for the use of public buses and taxis to ensuretimely arrival of buses at various bus stops. Dedicated lanesare

considered successful international practices that motivatethe population to use public transport modes rather thantheir private vehicles, and are being implemented in manyNorth American and European cities with the aim of shorten-ing the journey time, and accordingly entice communitymembers to use public transport modes” said Al Tayer.“Total length of the initial completed phase of the project isabout 5.6 km covering sectors of several roads at variouslocations that include: Al Mankhool Road (from Satwa R/Aup to Sheikh Rashid Road in a sector extending 1400 meter),Al Khaleej Road (from the intersection with Khalid bin AlWaleed Road up to Al Musalla Road, opposite to HyattRegency Hotel in a sector extending 3600 meter), Khalid binAl Waleed Road (from the intersection with Al Mina Road upto Road 16, in a sector extending 220 meter), and Al Ghubai-ba Road (from the intersection with Al Mina Road up to Road12, in a sector extending 320 meter). Selecting these loca-tions came as a result of a comprehensive study that hastaken into consideration the anticipated population growthand serving the congested spots in Dubai Emirate.“Currently RTA operates 1540 buses deployed on 119 routeslifting about 325,000 passengers per day. Buses cover 100%of Central Business District of Dubai and 75% of various dis-tricts of Dubai, and operate at 10-15 minutes headway (inter-vals) during peak hours. The introduction of the Project willhelp shorten the journey time and speed up bus arrival (at arate of 5 minutes per journey). The time saved for bus usersis estimated to worth 104 million dirham p.a. The project willalso contribute to slashing the operational costs of busesdeployed on these routes by 10.4 million dirham, minimizethe demand for parking spaces at congested spots, reducethe environmental pollution rates caused by private vehiclesexhausts, and decrease the number of road accidents”

Our News


RTA unleashes the initial phase of Dedicated Lanes for Buses & Taxis in coop with Dubai Police

Al Tayer: the project covers Al Mankhool, Al Khaleej, Khalid bin Al

Waleed, and Al Ghubaiba Roads in a total length of 5600m

Dedicates Lanes for Buses and Taxis Pro-ject aims to:

Ensure the integration of various transport modes

Meet the strategic objectives of the RTA pertinent to

encouraging the use of mass transportation and increas-

ing the share of public transport to 30% by 2020.

Maximize the vehicle intake of the existing roads in

Dubai and cut short the journey time.

Address the current and future needs of roads and trans-

portation, and develop integrated solutions for road sys-

tems and land & marine transportation networks that are

safe for users and in line with the comprehensive devel-

opment plans in Dubai Emirate.


added Al Tayer in final remark.For his part H.E. Major General Khamis Mattar AlMazeina, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of DubaiPolice, praised the drive of the wise leadership thataims at coupling the development drive of the UAEwith civilized methods and modernized visionbefitting the urbanization & demographic growth ofDubai Emirate and the massive increase of private& public vehicles, and seeking to ease traffic con-gestion by introducing dedicated lanes for publictransport vehicles.“The General HQ of Dubai Police, in coordinationwith the RTA, will implement the orders of HHSheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Mak-toum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of theExecutive Council, and the Law No (1) /2010 issuedby HH to control and prohibit unauthorized vehiclesfrom using these lanes, Dubai Police will team upwith Roads & Transport Authority to support thecompetent bodies in enforcing the law. The Gener-al HQ of Dubai Police will communicate to trafficpatrols to ensure the smooth movement of vehicleson the dedicated lanes, prevent misuse by other vehicles,schedule the time allotted for the movement of vehiclesbetween the specified points of their routes, and enforce thelaw against offenders” said Al Mzeina.He further added: “Dubai Police General HQ will also directthe concerned Departments to stage introductory campaignsabout these lanes, follow-up the daily schedules related tothe timing and movement of vehicles, and brief motorists onhow to react in the event of accidents, delays or traffic dis-ruption. It will also coordinate with the media agencies tofocus more light on the positive aspects of these lanes,whether in terms of traffic by minimizing congestion & acci-dents, and cutting short trip time and costs of public trans-port or in terms of the environment by reducing pollutionresulting from vehicle exhausts”.Al Mazeina hailed the existing cooperation between DubaiPolice General HQ and the RTA, and cited the MoU signed toenahce the existing strategic partnership relations in aneffective manner in accordance with a corporate system thatcontinually boosts & upgrades this relationship in a way thatserves all community segments and reflects positively on theeconomic & social development drive in the Emirate. “H.E. LtGeneral Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander of Dubai Police,

reiterated during the protocols of signing the MoU that DubaiPolice General HQ would offer every support and maintaincontinued communication with RTA executives to assistthem deliver their tasks. This is particularly relevant in thecontext of the current development & economic growth andthe mega urban projects built in Dubai, which add more bur-den on the RTA, and prompts all stakeholders to prop-up RTAefforts towards the fruition of its vision of providing Safe andSmooth Transport for All” concluded Al Mazeina.


Anybody who breaches the provisions of OrderNo (1) regarding the use dedicated lanes onthe roads of Dubai Emirate will be issued witha 600 dirham fine. Anyone who causes anydamage to the operating devices, equipmentand signage pertinent to the dedicated lanesshall bear the costs of compensation for thesedamages in addition to an administrative feeof 25% of the these costs. The estimate madeby RTA of these costs shall be deemed as final.

Pursuant to the Order (1)/2010 regarding the use ofdedicated lanes on Dubai Emirate’s roads, vehiclesother than public transport buses and taxis are pro-hibited to drive on the dedicated lanes except forvehicles belonging to the Police, Civil Defence vehi-cles, Ambulance vehicles while handling emer-gency cases, individuals’ vehicles in emergencycases, vehicles using the dedicated lane to accessor exit from side or subsidiary roads, vehicles spec-ified in a decision from the Chairman of the Boardand Executive Director of the RTA.

AED600 set as fineagainst the misuse of

dedicated lanes


H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and ExecutiveDirector of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) headed RTA'sdelegation taking part in the Asia Pacific Rail Conferenceheld in the Thai capital Bangkok; where H.E. presented RTA'sexperiment in achieving Dubai Metro Project.H.E. Mattar Al Tayer delivered a keynote speech in front ofmore than 200 key decision makers in railway industry aswell as railway operators, bankers, financiers, risk manage-ment & insurance consultants, contractors and vendors inwhich he reviewed a host of core topics related to the lead-ership role in achieving Dubai Metro Project.“The leadership and generous patronage of HH SheikhMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President andPrime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was the under-lying factor for completing Dubai Metro project on time. HHkept the project under close look, tracked various construc-tion phases and made site visits marking the project mile-stones. In March 2006 HH laid the foundation stone of theproject, in January 2007 HH launched the initial tunnelingworks of the metro tunnels, and in September 2008 HHlaunched the trial run of the metro on the test track stretch-ing from Jebel Ali Station to Ibn Battuta Station,” said AlTayer. “HH directed to address all security and safety requirementsat the highest global standards; which proved a crucial ele-ment for completing the project without significant construc-tion incidents. HH directed to buy another Tunnel BoringMachine to speed up the tunneling drive and accordingly thetunnels of the Red and Green Lines were completed ahead ofschedule,” said Al Tayer. He stated the key factors underlin-ing the completion of the project which included a well-defined vision, mission and objectives, and the continualfollow-up of the work progress in various phases of the proj-ect, as well as the teamwork spirit, cooperation and commu-nication with various internal & external relevant parties.Contributing factors also included the proper managementof risks and challenges, developing integrated work pro-grams spanning all stakeholders and sub-contractors, docu-mentation, and benefiting from learned lessons.Al Tayer went on to say that the leadership team was con-fronted with several challenges in the course of completingthe Dubai Metro project and cited examples such as the

need to assess the key project details, overcoming techno-logical issues that shoot up (such as tunnel ventilation), tak-ing strategic decisions (such as the phased opening of theRed Line Stations), commitment to open the project on time(09.09.09), coordination with the diverse parties of the proj-ect, and dealing with engineers workers belonging to about200 nationalities. “In rising to these challenges, the leader-ship team was driven by the strict compliance with the direc-tives of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum whichwere communicated to everyone engaged in the project con-struction, be it RTA's employees or the Consortium undertak-ing the project. It was stressed to all bodies that the decisionto open the project on the pre-determined date at the sign-ing of the project in 2005 was irreversible and things have tobe carried on accordingly. All potentials and resources of allRTA's agencies and sectors have been mobilized to ensurethe timely delivery of the project”.Al Tayer reviewed some of the decisions taken which hadconsiderable impact on expediting the progress of the metroproject such as the establishment of Dubai Metro ProjectForum; comprising senior RTA's executives, as well as proj-ect contractors and Consultant, with a view to speeding updecision-taking in core issues. The Chairman of the Boardand Executive Director of the RTA assumed direct responsi-bility for the project as of May 2009 and made daily site vis-its when the operation date approached. HH adopted vari-ous tools to achieve this end including rotation of site super-visors, and payment of instant rewards to the excellentsupervisors at various locations. Based on several inputs,the decision of the phased operation of the metro service onthe Red Line was taken.“The stations opened were selected on the basis of severalstandards at the top of which came the population density inthe area served by the station for the convenience of thoseliving in the vicinity of the station, availability of commercialactivities in the area served by the station, availability ofgovernment activities in the proximity of each station, thestation linking with multi-level parking lots, the station link-ing with multi-modal transportation means (such as busesand marine transit systems), and the projected number ofpassengers at each station

Our News


More than 200 delegates & specialists took part in the premier rail annual event



The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has coordinated withMeydan City Corp to open today (Sunday) bridges and roadsleading to Meydan Racecourse at Nad El Sheba. The projectcomprises bridges extending 2025 meters; including two 710meter-long bridges, each consisting of two lanes per direc-tion for entering & exiting Meydan, and another privatebridge for VIP use providing direct access to Meydan Grand-stand.The Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTAH.E. Mattar Al Tayer hailed the full and continued coopera-tion of Meydan City Corp; which has helped in stepping upthe work tempo and completing the project in a record time.The completion of Meydan Road project has been timed withthe completion of the internal construction works of the proj-ect in a fully coordinated format and schedule, such that itwill be ready on time for the 15th running of the Dubai WorldCup on March 27.“Meydan Roads & Bridges Project; which has a price tag ofone billion dirham, is one of the key projects undertaken bythe RTA and its importance is underlined by the massivenature of Meydan project which spans an area of 67 millionsquare feet and harbours the world’s biggest horseracingracecourse, in addition to a 5-start hotel, state-of-the-art sta-bles, Meydan Gallery, canals, restaurants, IMAX cinema hallfor 585 persons, and a parking spacefor 10 thousand vehicles” said AlTayer.Work in the project involved divertingthe route of Meydan Road, which sur-rounds Meydan City, and providingcorridors to access Meydan City. Thenew Meydan Road comprises fourlanes in each direction starting fromthe existing interchange with Dubai-Al Ain Road and extending 4.5 km upto the Falcon Club. The project alsoencompassed construction of fourbridges including one bridge for theuse of VIPs leading to Meydan Grand-stand; with an iconic architecturaldesign making it a standout among

other bridges in the Emirate, where a special coating hasbeen applied to the metal part of the bridge along with dec-orative lighting fixtures. The project also included partial construction of the watercanal within the right of way of Meydan Road beneath themain bridge of the project, which is planned to link up withDubai Creek and Meydan Grandstand in future to facilitatemarine navigation below the main bridge of the project. Forthis purpose, the utility lines under the canal have beenshifted and the elevation of two high voltage power lines hasbeen upped to ensure sufficient vertical clearance distancefrom the road domain. Works also included constructing anew rainwater drainage system, as well as fitting decorativenight lighting system.“These projects are part of RTA strategy to keep pace withthe current and future needs of urban development, devel-opment drive and demographic growth & expansion. RTAtherefore needs to have in place advanced roads & trans-portation network to support the evolution of the Emirate asa reputable high profile cosmopolitan city, an internationaldestination for tourists, visitors and business leaders fromall over the world, and a key regional and global center forconventions and exhibitions. This warrants maintaining thedevelopment process and preserving the appearance of the

city to live up to its billing” said RTAChairman of the Board and ExecutiveDirector.In conclusion, Al Tayer stated thatRTA would continue construction ofseveral main and arterial roads in theEmirate as part of an integrated roadconstruction and widening projectsin keeping with its strategy to pro-vide advanced services to residentsand comprehensive practical solu-tions ensuring seamless traffic flow;which adds to RTA vision of providingSafe & Smooth Transport for All inthe Emirate.

RTA opens bridges leading to Meydan as coop with Meydan City Corp hailed

Al Tayer:RTA is all set tocontinue roadconstruction &

widening projects


Our Services


In an initiative unprecedented across the Middle Eastand North Africa, RTA's Public Transport Agencyannounced that the work team of Planning & BusinessDevelopment Dep’t of the Agency teamed up with theGIS Section at the IT Dep’t of RTA and Google Inc. toupload Dubai public bus stops information on thecyberspace of Google Earth. The move will enable pub-lic bus users in the Emirate of Dubai visiting GoogleEarth portal to check this information at any time andfrom anywhere. “RTA is keen on capitalizing on the latest technology,including the cyberspace, and this recent step of pro-viding access to public bus stops information throughGoogle Earth would enable users to view the information, includingthe routes passing through these stops. They can also return to RTAportal to obtain more information about the bus routes by checkingthe link on RTA's website displayed on Google Earth and from thereto the Journey Planner (Wojhati) or else, they can access the link(Google Transit); the second option that takes the user to Wojhati,”said Mohammed Abu Baker Al Hashemi, Acting CEO of Public Trans-port Agency and Director of Business Development Dep’t at theAgency.“Google Transit is an exclusive term that illustrates the integration

between the RTA and Google Inc. on the cyberspacethrough Google Maps. It follows that placing RTA's web-site on a global portal as important as Google, is consid-ered promotional vehicle to introduce the RTA to a con-siderable chunk of internet users across the globe. Thisinitiative will undoubtedly contribute to facilitating priorplanning of journeys on board public buses for all com-muters such as residents, visitors and tourists.”“Uploading public bus stops information on GoogleEarth is an added service that is set to boost Wojhati ini-tiative unleashed by Public Transport Agency in the firstquarter of last year. The new initiative will certainlyempower larger numbers of users worldwide to access

the public bus network in the Emirate of Dubai.“This technology aims at assisting the users of Dubai public buseswith the selection of the ideal mobility method, and offering theavailable options as per the starting and destination points as wellas journey schedules. The service also enables both residents andvisitors to inquire about bus schedules and routes either throughchecking RTA's website or Google Transit; which places Dubai at parwith the highly sophisticated cities in the field of public transporta-tion worldwide,” added Al Hashemi.

Mohd Abo Baker Al Hashimi

RTA provides access to Bus Stopsinformation through Google Earth

RTA kicks-off implementation of Universal Centers Plan

RTA shifts services from Union Coop Society Center to UnifiedServices Center at Al TawarDubai (United Arab Emirates): The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has embarked on the implementation of Universal Centers & UniversalEmployee plan as part of its strategic plan that aims at meeting customer requirements and offering top-class services through shifting its servic-es to strategic locations and placing them at centers shared with other government bodies.“RTA Strategic Plan; which was aligned with customer needs, was based on the findings of an elaborate study compiled by the RTA focusing on theservices rendered by the RTA and the beneficiaries of these services, as well as the findings of surveys that covered the most vital spots in DubaiEmirate. The services in question will be provided in future through new communication channels offering more options” said Dr. Aysha al-Bus-mait, Director of Customer Service Dep’t at RTA Corporate Administrative Support Services Sector.She explained that the comprehensive plan, which would be implemented in phases, aimed at implementing the criteria of Dubai GovernmentExcellence Program, provision of wide-ranging services under one ceiling at service centers situated at most strategic & vital locations across DubaiEmirate, and deployment of universal staff.“The initial step envisaged under this plan is to shift the services rendered at the Customer Service Center at Al Ittihad Cooperative Society, AlTawar, to the Unified Services Center of Dubai Municipality at Al Tawar 1 as of 25 February 2010. The new Center will offer services from 07.30 amto 07.30 pm during week days, except on Fridays and official holidays, where the services of the center will be restricted to drivers licensing only.“RTA Customer Service Dep’t assigns special attention towards realizing RTA strategic goal of calling for customer centricity through improving andupgrading the level of services and locations of delivering the service, besides heeding to customer feedbacks and addressing their requirements.To realize this objective, the Dep’t developed plans for schemes that meet the needs & expectations of customers by making them the cornerstonein improving and upgrading the level of services rendered.“The Dep’t is working on the implementation of corporate governance criteria in line with the policies and strategies of Dubai Government throughhaving in place a process to ensure continual training and qualification of the employee with a view to making him or her a universal employeewho is keeping pace with modern technologies in the field of customer service. Besides seeking to provide universal service centers at strategic locations in the Emirate and the universal employee scheme, the Dep’t is workingon several other schemes such as processes and governance of Customer Relation Management (CRM), standardization of systems, CRM system,re-engineering of service delivery, and classification of services at the highest international classification standards. These schemes aim at diver-sifying service-delivery channels, and adding a package of services to RTA Call Center & website to encourage customers use the website or CallCenter instead of visiting the Centers.


Dubai – United Arab Emirates: The Roads

& Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has

recently obtained ISO 2000 certification

for the quality standards of the IT servic-

es, in recognition of RTA efforts in apply-

ing the best practices and standards pro-

vided for in the IT Infrastructure Library

(ITIL) standards. RTA has become the

only second Government organization at

Dubai Government level, and the fifth

across the UAE to obtain this certifica-

tion.

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the

Board and Executive Director of the RTA,

received the Certificate from the CEO of

RTA's Corporate Technical Support Ser-

vices Sector Abdullah Al Madani and the

Director of RTA's IT Department Abdullah

Al Bastaki.

Al Tayer expressed his delight with RTA

obtaining this certification; which reflects a further success

in the field of information technology, and would act as a

motivator for committing more efforts to apply IT to the serv-

ice of the public. “This certificate culminates the endeavours

of RTA's IT Team, which in 2009 made in-house efforts to

develop the Integrated Services Directory; detailing the

processes of service request and follow-up, besides devel-

oping methodologies and frameworks for coping with the

new developments of the electronic infrastructure and the

approach applicable to the technological problems” stated

Al Tayer.

“From inception, RTA assumed the responsibility of upgrad-

ing the quality of customer service and has always been

keen on diversifying the platforms and channels of deliver-

ing such services; at the top of which comes the internet.

RTA developed an integrated strategy for converting and pro-

viding the services online in keeping with the vision and

trends of the e-Government. Such a strategy relied on the

speedy processing and customer centricity.

“In 2009, RTA bagged five key Awards at the regional level in

recognition of its efforts in the IT field. It won the second

position in the e-Government Award at the GCC level held in

Muscat, Oman in 2009 in the category of the Best Electroni-

cally Advanced Organization at the GCC level following a

fierce competition with GCC ministries and organizations.

RTA also won IT Governance Award; an annually awarded

prize made by the Information Technology Governance

Assurance Forum (ITGAF) for honoring and recognizing the

efforts made by organizations in building & practicing

processes (Maturity Level”; an initial step for achieving IT

Governance. The Award, which was launched by the Finan-

cial Audit Department of Dubai Government in 2006, pro-

vides a prime opportunity for motivating the IT Team and

deriving clear-cut benefits to boost IT and processes. RTA

won Middle East Network Creativity Award as it was consid-

ered the entity that has the most direct impact on the user.

The Award is given annually to projects, persons, vendors

and service providers who were innovative in the field of

regional networking over 12 months in recognition of their

efforts in setting pioneering benchmarks and increasing the

reliability of the networking infrastructure across the region.

“RTA also won Arab Technology Award in recognition of its

efforts in the field of technological applications in the gov-

ernment sector through the project of paying the parking

fees over the mobile phone (mParking); which enables the

users to pay their parking fees over their mobile phones

without having to go to the parking machine or carry coins.

Additionally, RTA clinched the Information Technology Exec-

utive of the Year 2009 Award in recognition of the excellent

performance of the Agency in achieving the e-link scheme

through innovative of linking technologies. This Award is

Our


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RTA obtains ISO 20000 certification in Information Technology

RTA becomes the second organization to get such

certification in Dubai, fifth across the UAE


The Preparation Committee for the Congress &Exhibition is chaired by Mohammed Obaid AlMulla, CEO of RTA Marine Agency, who has beenselected by the UITP as representative of theExecutive Committee for the Middle East & NorthAfrica (MENA).As part of preparations for the Congress, RTA hasendorsed a plan worked out by the PreparationsCommittee for the Congress in coordination withthe UITP, to hold a series of events at the region-al and international levels to promote the Con-gress & Exhibition, showcase the image of Dubaithrough participation in events held at the region-al & global levels.“RTA will take part with UITP in the World Expo tobe held in Shanghai, China (5 – 9/05/2010),which will host the session of UITP Political Boardfeaturing a host of educational tours for Congressmembers. The event will witness a contest foryouth under the theme (Solutions for Our Future)and May 8 will be dedicated as Dubai Day; which

is intended as a promotional vehicle for DubaiEmirate in the fields of trade, culture and tourismto showcase the profile of the city worldwide. Theevent will exhibit several fine traditional and her-itage habits including UAE traditional foods, pop-ular music & arts, and Henna designs for ladies.The program will also include a joint press confer-ence between the RTA, UITP and Shanghai Expoto promote UITP Congress (Dubai 2011)” saidMohammed Obaid Al Mulla, CEO of RTA MarineAgency, and Chairman of the Preparation Com-mittee for the Congress and Exhibition.Al Mulla unveiled that RTA would also take part inthe Middle East Rail Opportunities 2010 Confer-ence scheduled on 19th - 21st April, 2010 inBahrain, including a press conference to promotethe 59th UITP Congress & Exhibition hosted byDubai in 2011 and the event would be attendedby senior international executives, experts andresearchers in the field of transportation andassociated services from all over the globe as

Our


H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman ofthe Board and Executive Director

of Roads & Transport Authority(RTA), together with senior exec-

utives across the world, willattend the grand celebrations

staged by the International Asso-ciation of Public Transport (UITP)in Brussels (17 – 19/09/2010) incelebration of the 125th anniver-sary of the UITP; which will holdits 59th Congress and Exhibition

in Dubai 2011.

China & Bahrain selected as promotional

platforms for UITP Congress (Dubai 2011)


well as representativesof specialized compa-nies. RTA would exhibitDubai city practices intransportation & publictransport sector, and itsinfrastructure of fixedassets that enabled itto offer best-in-classpublic transport services, particularly in themetro, public buses and marine transport modes.He further revealed that Dubai Autism Center hasbeen selected as a recipient of the funds to beraised during the Congress & Exhibition and theevent would be a good opportunity for the RTA tohighlight the corporate social responsibility ofboth the RTA and the UITP. The amount raised

would be a big boostfor the efforts ofDubai Autism Centerto source top-classspecialized educa-tors.“RTA is endeavour-ing, as usual, to

honour its corporateresponsibilities towards the community and willsupport Dubai Autism Center through CharitableActivities spot in the program, as the policy of theUITP mandates deduction of a certain amountfrom each registered participant and donating thefund to a local charitable society” said Al Mulla ina final remark.


RTA takes part UITP125th anniversarycelebrations


Operational efficiency of the taxicab sector operating underthe umbrella of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) hit anupsurge of 92.6% at peak hours in the second half of 2009compared to the first half of the same year which was at85%.The CEO of RTA's Public Transport Agency Essa Abdul Rah-man Al Dosari stated: “National Taxi Fleet topped the list interms of operational efficiency in the second half of 2009 at95% followed by Cars Taxi Fleet at 94%, Metro Taxi at 93%,Al Arabia Taxi at 92% and Dubai Taxi Corporation’s Fleet at89%.“The taxi sector is one of the most important vital transportsectors in Dubai Emirate and is progressively developing interms of service and increased number of vehicles inresponse to the increasing rise in the number of users,including residents, visitors and tourists,” said Al Dosari. The total number of trips traveled by the franchise companyvehicles was in excess of 36 million in the second half of2009, i.e. more than 6 million trips monthly compared to thefirst half of the same year which totaled 34 million tripsrecording an increase of 1.8 million trips approximately.The number of calls received at the Dispatch Center of thePublic Transport Agency accounted to 3.3 million telephoniccalls, of which more than 2.3 calls were executed. The num-ber of vehicles booked automatically over the IVR systemtopped 883,000. The rate of responding to customer callswas 5 seconds only, while the duration of dispatching vehi-cles to customers from the moment of booking execution tothe arrival at the specified place reached an average of 12.52

minutes.The accidents number indicator showed that there were only0.4 accidents for every 100,000 trips during the second halfof 2009. This important aspect relating to the safety of pas-sengers, road users, drivers and property is remarkablyimproving year after year owing to the continual awarenessof drivers and improvement of their daily performancethrough compliance with traffic rules in line with the RTA’svision of providing “Safe and Smooth Transport for All.”Al Dossari further pointed out: “The sector’s operational effi-ciency is measured at peak hours from 8.00 hours a.m. to10.00 hours a.m. and from 18.00 hours p.m. to 21.00 hoursp.m. which normally show high demand from the public forthe service.”National Taxi scored the highest operational efficiency atpeak hours during the second half of 2009 hitting 95% fol-lowed by Cars Taxi (94%), Metro Taxi (93%), Arabia Taxi(92%) and Dubai Taxi (89%).The rate of signing off complaints leveled against all fran-chise companies incoming to the RTA Customer Service Cen-ters was 94% in the second half of 2009. “The Franchising & Monitoring Department at the PublicTransport Agency launched 28 inspection campaigns of taxi-cabs during the second half of 2009 to combat a number ofnegative phenomena such as reckless driving. A campaignwas carried out to ensure the compliance with security andsafety conditions as well as another campaign on taxicabparking spaces. It is noted that these negative phenomenaare gradually vanishing due to the growing awareness of

fleet drivers acquired through thecontinuing awareness campaigns,workshops and training coursesorganized by RTA,” continued AlDossari. “RTA is keen on launching aware-ness and inspection campaigns,driver workshops, press releasesand announcements through vari-ous print, audio, video and electron-ic media. RTA works persistentlytowards launching further strategicinitiatives and implementing suchplans which would ensure expan-sion and development of the taxitransport sector placing it at parwith the superior world-class stan-dards,” he concluded.It is worth mentioning that the totalnumber of taxicabs of all franchisecompanies is 7,941 vehicles led byDubai Taxi Corporation having 3,503vehicles

RTA reviews Dubai Taxi performance in the second half of 2009

Operational efficiency soars to 92%compared to the first half

Numbers X Numbers



RTA's Public Transport Agencyhas issued 248 miscellaneousoffence tickets against 84schools in the Emirate of Dubai,following the inspection cam-paign rolled out by Franchiseand Enforcement Dep’t at theAgency targeting 448 schoolbuses. Fines issued rangedfrom AED50 to AED500 and thetotal amount of fines charged inDecember 2009 amounted toAED70,700.“Offences recorded by theAgency relate to the failure ofschool buses in complying withthe rules and instructions pro-vided for in the School Transport Law of the Emirate of Dubai2008” said Mansoor Rhama Al Falasi, Director of Franchiseand Enforcement. “Such a situation creates a disorderly andapathetic atmosphere among the managements of schools,transportation companies engaged in school transport, anddrivers of school buses," he continued.“Offences made mostly relate to 10 articles topped by busesbeing in breach of any of the conditions of the externalappearance of the school bus (68 offences), next came driv-ing the school bus by a driver not authorized or who has anexpired permit (56 offences), and the bus being in breach of

any specifications and stipulation of safety (45 offences).“No offence was reported under 3 articles; placing the vehi-cle permit in the designated place, refusal to present the dri-ver’s permit to the enforcement officer, and operation of theelectronic arm when using the bus in any activity other thanschool transportation.“RTA is always keen and attentive to ensure the implementa-tion of School Transport Law by schools, transport compa-nies and school bus drivers as this sector plays a critical rolein the lives of a wide segment of students of various agegroups


RTA issues 248 offence tickets to 84schools in Dec 09


Dubai – United Arab Emirates: Roads &

Transport Authority (RTA) has completed pro-

cessing of 369 transactions and 450 techni-

cal tests of various marine transportation

means that included motorized / rowing

abra, water bus and jet skis. These results

were announced in the Annual Report com-

piled by Registration and Licensing Dep’t of

RTA Marine Agency.

Sultan Musabbah Al Kutbi, Director of Regis-

tration and Licensing RTA's Marine Agency,

announced that the Dep’t had issued license

renewals of 146 motorized abras, 5 rowing

abras, and 9 water buses, besides new regis-

tration of 57 jet skis. It also carried out about 400 technical

tests in respect of all marine transportation modes, in addi-

tion to examining and testing 26 abra operators through 60

practical tests, issuing 15 driving licenses of abras, renewing

of 96 driving licenses, and replacing 15 driving licenses

issued from Ports Police Stations.

“The Annual Report shows obvious improvement in all fields

as RTA is seeking to keep abreast of developments taking

place in marine transportation industry in order to realize its

vision of providing Safe and Smooth Transport for All,

through adopting the best methods and means capable of

boosting its corporate standing, excellence

drive and sustained prosperity.

“The Dep’t is seeking to improve marine

transportation in the Emirate, including

meeting the requirements of registering and

licensing mass transportation boats,

whether currently owned by the RTA, or

being built abroad and scheduled for deliv-

ery over the forthcoming months after being

subjected to technical tests at the country

of origin to verify their soundness and sea-

worthiness. Such water transport modes

are set to boost the integration of land and

marine transportation in the Emirate.

“The Dep’t has undertaken several initiatives and strategic

partnerships with a number of government and non-govern-

ment bodies such as the National Transportation Authority,

and Department of Economic Development as well as insur-

ance companies operating in the Emirate with a view to

improving the level and standards of services delivered to

customers, and supporting them with advanced electronic

programs,” said Al Kutbi.

He concluded: “The Dep’t has introduced a host of practical

initiatives to promote revenues and cut expenditures; which

are being effectively applied

Numbers X Numbers


RTA processes 369 transactions, 450 technical testsof marine transport means in 2009

Tests carried out include motorized/row-ing abras, water bus and jet skis

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It was announced by Mohammed Al Mudhar-reb, Director of Unified Automated Fare Col-lection Department (UAFC) at Corporate Tech-nical Support Services Sector of Roads &Transport Authority (RTA), that the total num-ber of unified cards (Nol Cards) sold since theinitial offering on 22 August till the end ofDecember 2009 totaled about 1.2 million NolSilver Cards. The number of transactions inwhich Nol cards were used from the officiallaunch on 09/09/09 till the end of December2009 exceeded 48 million transactionstopped by transaction made through publicbuses, and included more than 262 thou-sand transactions of paying parking feesapplicable at RTA's parking zones.“From inception, the Dep’t has assumed theresponsibility of delivering best-in-class servic-es to customers, and was keen on diversifying thechannels of service delivery. At the top of these chan-nels comes the internet, where the Dep’t developed anintegrated plan for delivering all services online in con-formity with RTA's Strategic Plan and the vision ofDubai e-Government. Other channels include RTA'ssales outlets such as Customer Service Centers, metro& bus stations, and RTA-appointed sales agents. TheDep’t has distributed over 1.7 million cards among var-ious sales outlets that included metro & bus stations,RTA's customer service centers, Carrefour, Spinney’s,Emirates NBD, and Rida Al Ansari Exchange,” said AlMudharreb.“The number of journeys made since the Nol card wasrolled out till the end of December 2009 clocked morethan 28 million journeys including 23 million journeysmade through public buses, followed by Dubai Metrorecording about 5 million journeys, and marine trans-port recording journeys in excess of 31 thousand. Thebreakdown of users involved in journeys madethrough Nol cards includes more than one million pas-sengers who used public buses, 700 thousand com-muters who used Dubai Metro, and more than 12 thou-sand riders who used marine transport. Commutersusing more than one transport mode in a single jour-ney reached about a quarter of a million,” concludedAl Mudharreb.Nol Card is a highly sophisticated electronic systemthat offers best and smooth services transport systemusers. The card is easily accessible and usable by thepublic, and the user has just to add a balance to thecard in order to use it in various transport modes. The

fare will be automatically calculated on the basis ofpay as you go. RTA has issued 3 types of cards inPhase I of the system operation; Nol Silver & GoldCard, Nol Red Tickets, and then Nol Blue Card inNovember 2009; which was made available throughNol Cpersonalized cards


RTA sells more than a million Nol Cardsin 4 months through various sales outlets

RTA ferries half a millionpassengers on board thewaterbus in 2009

RTA's Marine Transport Agency has ferried 532,062passengers in 128,092 journeys on board the WaterBus, according to statistics compiled by the Agencycovering 2009.The Director of Operation and Maintenance at theMarine Agency Hussain Ali Al Saffar said that Febru-ary topped the number of passengers ferried with50,060 passengers ferried in 9,968 journeys, fol-lowed by January posting 48,764 passengers liftedin 11,036 journeys, next came November with47,813 passengers served in 9,410 journeys andMay which saw 46,686 passengers transported in11,082 journeys.“Journeys are run on four operational lines: B1 fromSabkha Station to Bur Dubai Station and the servicewas launched on 16 August 2007, B3 from Seef Sta-tion to Sabkha Station via Bani Yas Station, B2 fromBani Yas Station to Dubai Old Souk Station (startedon 4 October 2007), and the To


Bus Drivers Affairs Dep’t at Public TransportAgency of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA)has recently held a training session to improvethe performance of several RTA's bus drivers torectify the mistakes made and improve thelevel of service delivered by the RTA to all mem-bers of the community.“RTA is in constant pursuit of improving andupgrading its services in keeping with its visionof providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All,and in order to ensure that clients are safe andcomfortable in using various modes of masstransportation in the Emirate of Dubai,” saidMohammed Hamed bin Fahad, Director of BusFleet Drivers Affairs at Public TransportAgency.“We have noticed recurrent mistakes on thepart of some bus drivers and therefore decidedto redress them through this training sessionthat we believe would greatly improve their per-formance and uplift the caliber of servicesoffered by Public Transport Agency to bus com-muters from all community segments,” statedbin Fahad.He added that Bus Fleet Drivers’ Affairs Dep’twas keen on holding this training session as atool to rectify the mistakes made by some

attending drivers. The course was delivered inArabic, English and Urdu languages; which arethe common languages among bus fleet driversat Public Transport Agency. The aim was toensure that the intended information waseffectively delivered to them in the languagesthey understand and speak every day.Bin Fahad called upon bus commuters androad users to communicate with the RTA to airtheir views and offer suggestions and ideasthat can promote the business of the RTA. Hestressed the importance of public feedbacks onany negative practice related to drivers’ atti-tudes, the way they deal with passengers andtheir conduct on Dubai roads.It is note-worthy that Bus Fleet Drivers’ AffairsDep’t held in 2009 intensive training sessionsfor drivers of public buses, including coursesfor novice drivers, and senior drivers plustraining drivers on customer services throughTransport Ambassador program in cooperationwith the Canadian Urban Transit Association(CUTA). Training also included driving of vari-ous bus types, bus routes in Dubai, operatingthe on-board bus systems such as Nol Cardsystem (TVM), rehabilit

Community Safety


RTA holds a training session to upgradebus drivers’ performance


On the occasion of our relocation to RTA's new headquarter; I would like to extendmy hearty congratulations to all of you. The new headquarter includes, under oneroof, all RTA's Agencies & Sectors except for the Public Transport Agency. The new building with its spacious offices, large auditoriums, meeting rooms andnew service facilities to be opened in the coming time, provides a suitable workenvironment for creativity, and increased productivity. I fully believe in your capabilities to join forces in one team to achieve RTA's futuregoals in high ranking quality and professionalism. We realize that taking on thechallenges encountering us require concerted efforts, loyalty, dedication andteamwork, in order to consolidate Dubai's position on the world's map, andachieve the goals RTA is aspiring to. I wish you all the best in your careers.

Photo CaptionPhoto Caption


One Team, Multiple Goals


Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Director of Customer Ser-vice Dep't, Chairman of RTA's Women's Commit-tee, commended the support and patronage ofHis Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed AlNahyan, President of the UAE, and his brother,His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid AlMaktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister ofthe UAE and Ruler Dubai along with Their High-nesses Members of the Supreme Council andRulers of the Emirates, to the UAE WomenEmpowerment drive. She thanked Her HighnessSheikha Fatima Bin Mubarak, Supreme Chair-woman of Family Development Foundation,Chairwoman of UAE General Women's Union, forHer Highness attention and constant follow up ofthe UAE Women Progress, to which she has accorded fullattention and support.The above statement was made during the celebration ofRTA Women Committee of the International Women's Day,featuring participation of Dubai Quality Group, where UAEWomen’s Award was highlighted.“Celebrating International Women's Day, which marks the8th of March each year, is an opportunity to feature thesocial, political, and economic achievements of women”said Dr. Aysha.“RTA pays special attention to females and is workingtowards creating appropriate conditions to allow skilledyoung female nationals to assume important leadershippositions, and participate along with their men counterpartsin achieving the ambitious vision and strategic objectives ofthe RTA.“The support of His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman ofthe Board and Executive Director of RTA, to female employ-ees, which was translated into the establishment of RTAWomen's Committee. One of the objectives of the committeeis to strengthen and activate the role of women working inthe RTA and the society, and develop the cooperation andteam spirit among RTA Female Employees of the Commis-sion, as well as providing an environment befitting the aspi-rations of leadership to develop women cadres to contributeto achieving RTA Objectives and its strategic prospects, pro-moting women's social, cultural and sports activities, and

enhancing RTA profile in the society” added Dr. Aysha. Shenoted: “Work is up and running in opening a nursery for thechildren of RTA employees in order to provide the appropri-ate environment for RTA female employees and their chil-dren as well”.Munira Safar, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communi-cations Dep't in the Ministry of Education, commented onher experience in participating in the UAE Women’s Award,"which aims at highlighting the distinctive contributions ofbusinesswomen and professional women in striking somesort of equal opportunities in order to build a better society.The award is intended to encourage women to participate inthe process of economic development of the country as wellas focusing on role models of leading female contributionsin order to motivate women."I have participated in three sessions, but I was unlucky intwo sessions, however, I did not lose my patience. On thecontrary, I became more determined to achieve my goal. Ibenefited from all observations made by the Award Adminis-tration. I managed to obtain the Award at the third session,which I considered a culmination of my long years of govern-ment work, and volunteer work in many associations andcommittees, continued Munira"She added, "The secret of my success is the balancebetween the requirements of home, overseeing the family,and meeting the requirements of work, whether in govern-ment or in public benefit associations” she added.

Community Safety


RTA Women Committee celebratesInternational Women's Day



Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has recently unleashed"Read More" initiative for students in the public and privateschools in the Emirate of Dubai, in the context of RTA's cor-porate social responsibility (CSR); which is also consideredtranslation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Moham-mad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Min-ister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, towards assigning moreattention to building Humans before the Place. HH says,"The development of man is the foundation on which anation is built. This building cannot be considered completewithout first developing the citizens, who are regarded ashuman wealth, constantly giving.”HE Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and ExecutiveDirector of RTA said, "The aim of Read More Campaign is topromote reading culture of school students aged 7-14 years,develop their understanding, further their thinking horizons,encourage their reading habits & skills, and enable themexploit their leisure time in a useful manner, and nothing isbetter than the Book. The campaign; which aims to reachnearly ten thousand students from 20 government and pri-vate schools in Dubai, will be launched from March and laststhrough the end of the first semester of the academic year2010-2011. "A work team from RTA will pay visits to the targeted schools.Books and publications commensurate with the target agegroups will be distributed; which will be characterized byclarity, conciseness and simplicity to ensure that the infor-mation is well-understood. Seminars and lectures on varioustopics will also be held focusing on topics related to masstransportation and its role in preservation of the environ-

ment through reducing emissions from vehicle exhausts, aswell as raising traffic awareness and compliance with lawsand rules of road traffic. Nations thrive on science, thinkingand reading, so education is the main tool to achieve thisend and overcome challenges confronting the countries ofthe region. This could well be achieved through encouragingthe community members to use mass transportation in theirdaily travels, to alleviate traffic jams and reduce vehicularpollution,” said Al Tayer.He also added: “RTA opted to target students as they repre-sent the future generation, and as we need to start with edu-cating our children, who are still in the process of buildingtheir talents and cultural aptitudes on issues of environmen-tal sustainability, and mass transportation so that we cannurture an educated & enlightened generation capable oforienting its society. We also aim to pattern

RTA Launches "Read More" initiative to sensitize students to environmental sustainability and mass transport issues

Al Tayer: The initiative targets tenthousand students


RTA Community


Dubai – United Arab Emirates: RTA's Dubai Taxi Corpo-

ration (DTC) has recently honoured Al-Zarouni-Inter-

national-Equipment-LLC, in the context of its efforts to

strengthen relations with vendors, and honour them in

recognition of their valuable efforts, support and com-

munication with DTC.

The event was attended by DTC CEO Abdul Aziz Malik,

Mohammed Al Zarooni General Manager of Al-Zarouni-

International-Equipment Co., and DTC Director of Fleet

Processes and Operation Yousef Al Ali.

“Honouring Al Zarooni Co. comes in recognition of

their valuable initiative of lending continual support to

DTC within the framework of partnership between DTC

and Al Zarooni Co. that dates back more than 14 years

ago. The Co. provides all workshop equipment such as

cranes, pumps, painting rooms, technical testing

equipment and other workshop accessories,” said

Abdul Aziz Malik.

He pointed to the deeply rooted bilateral relations that

link DTC with its suppliers and the importance of such

relations in expanding and upgrading the scope of

services rendered by DTC to taxi users in the emirate;

be it citizens, residents, visitors or tourists. He stated

that such a practice came in line with the reputed

standing of Dubai Emirate as a regional economic cen-

ter and a point of attraction for investors and busi-

nesspersons from all over the globe.

“DTC is keen on supporting all sorts of private sector

entities engaged in business relationships with the

DTC out of its commitment to promote and support

investors directly and indirectly through identifying

their needs and expectations in the light of inputs as

well as the prevailing local and global economic indi-

cators,” added Al Malik.

For his part Mohammed Al Zarooni praised that kind

gesture of DTC and said: “This initiative is testament

to DTC’s appreciation of the efforts of its clients, and

is set to boost the relationships and partnerships

between the two parties and realize their intended

objectives. This is particularly important when it

comes to benefiting from the potentials of the DTC and

its links with public and private entities in the course

of assisting these companies to provide classy servic-

es.”

The General Manager of Al ZarooDTC to their company

in particular and all other companies in general

Dubai Taxi honours a key supplier



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