The Commercial Transport Dep’t at the Licensing Agency of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has recently briefed a visiting delegation from the Sharjah Transport Corporation on the best practices relating to commercial transport, and key projects & programs to be undertaken this year in line with the highest international standards.

Receiving the delegation, the Director of Commercial Transport Activities Sultan Al Kutbi stressed the importance of these meetings as they reflect the extent of cooperation between government entities in various Emirates of the country, and joint communications made with a view to improving the business conduct and streamlining shared roles under a drive to adopt the best practices in place.

In a visual presentation made to the visiting delegation, Al Kutbi touched on various information related to the Department along with its vision & mission, which revolve around the continued enhancement of legislations & regulations in a way that serves customers, and nurtures a safe & integrated commercial land transport environment.

“The Commercial Transport Activities Department is seeking this year to pursue the best programs and projects capable of enhancing its standing and services rendered to the public in the transport sector. Among key issues of common interest is the conversion of some service offering to the online mode, enhancement of the electronic link with the Department of Economic Development in order to streamline procedures and overcome obstacles encountered by the public, streamlining the transport of hazardous materials sector & quad bikes rental sector this year, and classifying the tourist buses,” he elaborated.

The Sharjah Transport delegation reviewed various services delivered by the Commercial Transport Activities Dep’t along with the key transport & rental activities. They were also introduced to the key documentation associated with different services and applicable fees; which vary according to each service. The review also covered communication channels opened with the public in order to identify their feedback and how to improve and deliver the services through RTA portal, Call Center 8009090 or Customer Service Centers such as Deira Licensing Center, and Customer Service Center at Umm Al Ramool.

Then RTA officials & members of the visiting delegation engaged in discussions where visitors were acquainted with the security information system applicable at Car Rental Offices in cooperation with the Dubai Police, which requires full information of the renter to be entered in the system in order to ensure higher protection to all parties concerned. They were also familiarized with the business routines of transporting passengers on hired buses or limousines between Dubai & Sharjah. “The streamlining of passenger transportation falls within the roles of RTA Public Transport Agency where passengers transportation on deluxe vehicles is made through operational agreements made with Operators,” stated Sultan Al Kutbi.

The two parties also discussed the transport laws; be it passenger transport or cargo transport between Emirates of the country which are applied by the National Transport Authority in Abu Dhabi (Land Transport Law); which requires a specific operational card. Discussions also covered the technical specifications of limousines used for transportation of passengers along with the conditions attached to this activity. They also touched on the prescribed lifecycle of vehicles related to commercial transport activities; which are customized to suit the activity itself.

The delegation members praised RTA’s continuous endeavours to introduce & adopt the best schemes & systems that render the RTA a key destination to various entities seeking to upgrade their business practices to keep them at par with the international standards.

DUBAI — The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has increased the number of outlets selling Unified Fare Cards (Nol cards) for mass transit commuters, spanning the metro, public buses, and the water bus as well as motorists paying for parking fees in Dubai.

Nol Cards

Nol cards will now be available at 39 outlets of Al Fardan Exchange, 30 outlets of Al Maya Group and seven outlets of Aswaq.

Mohammad Yousuf Al Mudharreb, Director of the Unified Automated Fare Collection at the RTA Corporate Technical Support Services Sector, said: “To implement this decision, the Unified Automated Fare Collection Department increased the number of outlets selling various types of Nol cards following the signing of bilateral agreements with Al Fardan Exchange, Al Maya Group, and Aswaq, which are amongst the leading business entities with extensive selling outlets across the UAE.

“The new selling outlets will be subject to the same terms and conditions applicable to other selling outlets since the initial offering of Nol cards, which includes a stipulation of maintaining a unified price at all existing and new selling outlets.

The 50 per cent discount on personalised Nol Blue Cards which the RTA launched in January will end this month.

news@khaleejtimes.com

DUBAI – The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will launch  a new bus route on February 3 to link International City with Warsan 3 and the service will be operational on Fridays.

Dubai Buses

Ahmed Mohammed Al Hammadi, acting CEO of RTA Public Transport Agency, said: “The Bus Department of Public Transport Agency will launch on February 3 a new route in Dubai named as Route 333 with a path connecting several localities including Warsan 2 as well as other vital spots within the International City such as the Post Office 2, Dragon Mart and Civil Defence 1. It also links key spots at Warsan 2 such as Workers Compound 2 and Trucks Parking 2, in addition to key areas at Warsan 3 such as Khawaneej Flowers Nursery, and Nad Al Sheba Nursery among other key areas covered by this route.”

Transit services on other routes have also been upgraded such as extending the path of Route C14 to Al Nahda 1 to reach May Tower. The Route 22 has also been modified to serve Dubai Courts in the direction of the Dubai Healthcare City. Route F16 has been modified to start from the Business Bay Metro Station where the route has been adjusted at Al Wasl Street and Jumeirah.

The path of Route F60 at Safa has also been modified, and the path of Route F48 has been modified to the Dubai Investment Park, particularly Madina Supermarket. Moreover, the path of Route 365 at the Dubai Silicon Valley to serve IT Plaza, and the path of Route F44 at the Jebel Ali area has been modified.

“The RTA is keen on widening and upgrading the public transport network to keep abreast of the urbanisation drive and the economic growth in the emirate. The public transport routes are one of the key strategic initiatives and key pillars of raising the percentage of trips made by public transport means through enticing various segments of the community to use mass transit systems in their daily travels.

news@khaleejtimes.com

Car owners issued with registration numbers before the establishment of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) need to buy an ownership certificate before they can sell that number, according to RTA.

The Authority was reacting to queries by vehicle owners whether they can sell or auction numbers issued to them before RTA was created and whether they need a prior approval by the Authority.

“The car numbers issued before RTA was set up are special numbers which can not be sold or auctioned without an ownership certificate,” said Ahmed Bahruzian, executive director of RTA’s licensing division.

Quoted by the Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum, he said RTA has classified those numbers into “code categories” starting from “A” to “K”.

“The nominal value of each number is assessed according to its category…its owner must pay 25 per cent of that nominal value for an ownership certificate as a condition to sell or transfer the ownership of that number,” he said.

“In case the car plate is already registered and owned, its owner can sell it and get approval from RTA for ownership transfer for a Dh100 fee.”

DUBAI // Transport officials have created a uniform format for driving lessons, which will include mandatory time behind the wheel at night and on motorways.

The licensing agency at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) implemented the programme at the start of the month and all driving schools will use the same curriculum.

“It’s the first uniform curriculum,” said Ahmed Bahrozyan, chief executive of the licensing agency. “In the current situation, each driving school has its own curriculum. They all cover the major skills but we put more structure around it by unifying them.”

The new curriculum is split between theory and practical learning. It is now mandatory for students to cover all aspects before they sit the final driving exam, and classroom lessons are also required. More info

Dubai: The Customers Service Department of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) recently opened Manara Customer Service Centre at Sheikh Zayed Road to meet the growing needs of customers for various RTA services.

RTA is keen on offering flexible and transparent services to all segments of the community.

Ahmed Mahboob, director of RTA Customer Service, said: “The RTA is always keen on expanding the scope of its services to keep abreast of the needs and aexpectations of customers.

“The RTA attaches considerable attention for timely delivery of service offerings. The business hours set for the new centre start from 07.30am and continue till 2.30pm.

“RTA seeks to broaden channels of communication with customers of all community spectrums.”

“The Manara Centre will deliver Salik and Nol card top-ups in addition to other services with particular emphasis on boosting the satisfaction of customers as well as employees of the centre,” said Mahboob.

The systems and policies of the Customer Service Department are built on the RTA’s strategic plan.

The RTA is working on developing and implementing an operational plan, key performance indicators and systems for tracking the performance of call centre employees.

Guy Wolfensberger, managing director of Swiss-based Grove Boats, said on Thursday that he would meet RTA officials during the Dubai Boat Show in March and discuss the proposal.

Guy Wolfensberger explains to officials about Grove Boats during WFES 2012 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. — KT photo by Nezar Balout

“We have a plan for the RTA to provide solar power technology for the abras. We can provide the technology to replace the diesel engines with the solar power. With the technology, the traditional image and looks of these boats will not be affected. The solar-powered boats will also help protect the Creek’s environment as there will be no diesel discharge and no engine sound,” he told Khaleej Times at the fifth World Future Energy Summit (WFES 2012), which ended on Thursday.

Wolfensberger further added converting the boats’ engines will be easy, simple and cost-effective.

His talks with RTA officials will also include sales of solar-powered passenger ferries that can operate at the Nakheel and other waterways in the emirate.

He said similar talks are being held with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport officials to sell passenger boats for transportation around Yas and Saadiyat islands. He said officials have been visiting their 24-seater Aquabus 1050, which has been brought here for the WFES exhibition, and shown their interest in the boat. After the summit exhibition, the boat will sail to Dubai to take part in Dubai Boat Show in March.

“To secure a market share in the UAE, we are already setting up an office in Dubai, which will be the company’s regional hub. We already have 40 boats of different sizes with different features in Europe. Now our goal is enter the Middle East market with the prime focus on the UAE and other GCC states,” Wolfensberger explained. More info

Dubai: The Licensing Agency at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is all set to launch a new batch of 4 and 5-digit number plates in the upcoming 10th Online Number Plates Auction bearing the M code.

* Image Credit: Gulf News archive * Cars on a busy Dubai road. The Licensing Agency at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is all set to launch a new batch of 4 and 5-digit number plates in the upcoming 10th Online Number Plates Auction bearing the M code.

Registration has already started for the Auction which will be held on 24 January 2012. It will run for 3 days.

Mohammed Abdul Kareem Nimaat, Director of RTA Vehicles Licensing, said: “This auction promises to be exceptional as it features the debut of the ‘M’ code; which is one of the most sought-after and popular codes judging by the recurrent inquiries frequently received from the public about the release of this code.”

The previous online auctions were highly successful and drew wide public participation, he said.

Plates bearing ‘K’ code have also been in high demand with clearance rate posted as high as 70 per cent; which prompted RTA to consider issuing a new code.

Customers may take part in the auction online at www.rta.ae. To seek assistance in taking part, call the RTA Call Center at 8009090.

Participants have to have a traffic file in Dubai Emirate and deposit 5,000 dirham, which is refundable in case no successful bid is made.

Dubai: Professional drivers in Dubai may soon need to pass medical fitness tests, to be allowed to continue in their job, traffic authorities have said.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is working with the Dubai Health Authority on a proposal to make it mandatory for professional drivers to obtain a medical fitness certificate in order to obtain a driving permit.

The Ministry of Interior recently endorsed a policy that mandates that all professional drivers will need to have driving permits, in addition to their driving licences.

“Driving permits are solely aimed for professional drivers such as taxi drivers, bus drivers, heavy vehicle drivers and school bus drivers. In addition to issuing these permits, as per Interior Ministry’s instructions, RTA is considering the linking of the permits to medical fitness, this year,” Ahmad Hashim Behroozian, CEO of the RTA’s Licensing Agency, said. More info

The Public Transport Agency at the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) and the Royal Island Beach Club, the owner of Lebanon Island, The World islands, have agreed to operate marine transit means, namely Water Taxi and Ferry Dubai, at the Club-owned Lebanon Island; the first island to be opened in The World project.

Signing the agreement between RTA and Royal Island Beach Club.

To this effect, a strategic partnership agreement in a form of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has recently been signed between the Public Transport Agency and the Royal Island Beach Club at the Head Office of the Agency in Dubai.

For the RTA the Agreement was signed by the Acting CEO of Public Transport Agency Ahmed Al Hammadi, and for the Royal Island Beach Club the signing was made by the CEO of the Club Wakil Ahmed Azmi in the presence of several directors and managers from both parties.

Al Hammadi reiterated RTA’s serious endeavours to open up joint cooperative channels with the tourist operators in the UAE through launching joint ventures and reciprocal activities in the field of marine transport in Dubai with a view to boosting tourism in the Emirate and keeping abreast of the progress afoot in this field.

“The objectives of signing this Agreement revolve around achieving mutual benefits through outlining the framework of the partnership relationships between both parties.

Specifically, it calls for making joint efforts to improve the performance & efficiency of marine transit services such as the Water Taxi and Ferry Dubai services, engaging in new investment prospects in commercial marine transport services, cooperating in the fields of advertising & marketing to promote RTA’s marine transit modes through profiling the Water Bus, Water Taxi and Ferry Dubai in the Club’s media channels including its website, and broadening the reach of RTA’s marine transit means, namely Water Taxi and Ferry Dubai. More info