Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) reported a 20% upsurge in digital transactions, reaching a total of 814 million in 2022, compared to 676 million in the previous year.
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Strong results
According to the Director-General and Chairman of the RTA’s Board of Executive Directors, Mattar Al Tayer, the authority’s digital channel generated $952.9 million (AED 3.5 billion) in 2022, marking a 10% growth compared to the preceding year.
Furthermore, the number of registered users saw a 30% increase, surpassing 1.3 million users. Meanwhile, in-app transactions skyrocketed by a staggering 197%, totalling 3.7 million transactions.
Al Tayer further highlighted RTA’s commitment to digitalisation projects in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai to bolster Dubai’s capabilities, enhance its global competitiveness, and offer residents multiple options to make the emirate the world’s best city for living.
These initiatives also fall in line with the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, to establish Dubai as the smartest city globally and promote digitisation throughout the emirate.
“RTA is tirelessly working to realise the vision of our wise leaders in transforming Dubai into a smart city that leverages cutting-edge technologies to provide excellent services, positioning Dubai as the world leader in roads and transportation,” Al Tayer said.
The RTA aims to become a global frontrunner in seamless and sustainable mobility, as part of its commitment to offering safe and efficient mobility solutions driven by advanced networks, innovative services, and sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Technology adoption
The positive results can be attributed to the authority’s adoption of agile management techniques in digitisation projects, effective departmental communication, swift adaptation to technology trends, and ambitious targets.
The RTA’s S’hail app witnessed a remarkable 174% increase in usage, with over 20 million public transport journeys planned in 2022 compared to the previous year, and a 73% upsurge in the number of users over the last two years.
In 2022, RTA introduced a range of digital services, including smart apps and new features across multiple channels.
The Vehicle Purchase and Sale service, for example, allowed customers to conduct transactions without physical presence and received the prestigious ‘UAE Innovates’ Award in the Automating Government Transactions category.
Parking services were also enhanced with convenient features, allowing users to pay parking fees using Apple Pay, facilitating over 2.2 million transactions.
In addition, users are informed about free parking days during holidays through the application, to improve transparency.
The RTA also introduced a feature that enables users to store and access their vehicle registration cards through their Apple wallet.
Over and above, the authority’s AI-powered chatbot Mahboub, launched in 2018, serves as a primary channel for delivering RTA’s services through various digital channels, including smart apps, the RTA website, and WhatsApp.
With 364 services and features, Mahboub engaged in over two million conversations in 2022. One of its popular services allowed customers to pay parking fees via WhatsApp, saving them the costs of a text message.
The platform also facilitated services such as the renewal of driver’s licenses and vehicle registration, enabling users to request new registration cards for direct delivery.
