By Ashfaq Ahmed  gulfnews.com
Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, on Thursday honoured the winners of the 3rd edition of the Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport (Dast) 2010.
Dast is a key initiative launched by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) three years ago with the aim of leveraging the public and private sector entities to contribute to alleviating traffic congestion and conserve the environment in Dubai.
“The mass transport modes in Dubai has become a dynamic system for the daily mobility of commuters as more than 332 million passengers with an average use of about 910,000 persons use public transport including buses, taxis, Metro and water transport every day,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA while speaking at the ceremony held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
He said that third edition of the Dast has led to a qualitative progress by introducing the School Transport category which allowed schools and transport companies to compete for the award.
The third edition also witnessed a considerable improvement in terms of quality and content of participation and the huge turnout of various organisations of the public and private sectors.
Shaikh Maktoum, along with Al Tayer, honoured the winners in different categories.
Positive impact
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) won in the Mobility Management category in recognition of its role in fostering positive impact of mass transportation.
Wellington University Dubai ranked second in recognition of its initiative entitled: “Why should you drive if you can ride the Dubai Metro?” The university provided buses to shuttle students between the Metro station and the university in a bid to further the culture of mass transport, minimising the number of private vehicles.
City Centre finished third in the mass transit category for its initiative of providing buses to commute hotel residents to the mall.
In the Transport Safety Award category, Emirates Driving Institute clinched the first position in recognition of its scheme: “The Role of Defensive Driving.” The course included a blend of theoretical lectures, safety discussions, and vehicles maintenance workshops.
BMW Group finished second for its road safety campaign as it carried out multiple campaigns to educate drivers on road safety. These campaigns have contributed to raising the awareness of motorists in using safety belts, baby seats and promoting awareness through schools activities among others.
Home Center Company finished third for its “Safe Driving Campaign” initiative which focused on the safety of its delivery team and road users.
Best global practises
In the Environment Conservation category, S.S. Lootah Company took first place for its scheme of ‘Using the Bio Fuel to Power Heavy Trucks Fleet’ in a voluntary initiative considered among the best global practices where 5 per cent of the bio fuel is used in powering the heavy vehicles after being blended with the normal fuel and the scheme contributed to reducing the emission of carbon dioxide.
The Drydocks World-Dubai got second prize in this category for its initiative to control the environmental impacts of transport and eliminating the solid waste and the drydocks-generated wastes.
Roll of honour
- Dubai Electrical and Water Authority
- Wellington University Dubai
- City Centre, Dubai
- Emirates Driving Institute
- BMW Group
- Home Centre
- S.S. Lootah Company
- The Drydocks World-Dubai
- FedEx International Company
- Dubai Centre for Special Needs
- Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services
- School Transport Services LLC
- Fancy Transport Company
- Emirates Transport
