RTA launches carpooling app 'Sharekni' in Dubai

Dubai - RTA announced the app has now been made available in five different languages.

Finally, the first big step to ride-sharing and flexible means of transportation go 'smart' on the roads of Dubai.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched Sharekni, the smart app that enables groups of riders to share vehicles while travelling from and to their workplaces, thereby reducing traffic congestion on roads.
Announcing the initiative on Saturday, Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said that this is one of the steps to make Dubai the smartest cities in the world.
"Through this service, the RTA is seeking to ease traffic snarls in Dubai, especially during peak times, reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles, and slash the overall number of vehicles on streets," said Al Tayer.
"The service portal (www.sharekni.ae) has been upgraded. The newer version simplifies the registration process, enables communication with customers through text messages and e-mails, and allows all holders of driving licences issued from various emirates of the UAE to sign-in, whereas the previous version was restricted to holders of driving licences issued from Dubai only," added Al Tayer.
The benefits of carpooling and ride sharing are multifold and though it has gained immense popularity among European and American users, it is only now that UAE has formally adopted it as a practice. Carpooling is the shared use of a car especially for commuting to work and often by people who each have a car but
RTA promotes carpooling with new app travel together to save cost, to reduce driving stress, and to promote other socio-environmental benefits.
No moneymaking
Through this app, individuals can register details of the car-sharing process where relevant permits can be issued electronically. The service is available inter-emirates and is applicable for both passengers as well as drivers.
Carpooling is restricted to two round trips daily for the people registered to the car and there is a permit per car. Users can share petrol costs. However, RTA has stated that the app must not be used as a moneymaking tool.
Al Tayer said: "Cash exchange is not allowed between the passengers and the car owner; however the car owner can be compensated by paying the gas price."
Flouting carpooling rules and riding without a permit from the RTA will result in a fine of Dh5,000.
The app is currently available in Arabic and English, but will soon be available in Chinese, Tagalog and Urdu languages; and is available in Android and iOS platforms.
According to RTA officials, such a practice will cut the number of kilometres travelled, cut the costs of operating vehicles, streamline the use of car parks around workplaces, alleviate the lack of parking slots, and lower pollution and fuel consumption rates associated with the high traffic volumes.
"Benefits of the practice also include easing the psychological and physical pressures associated with driving in congested roads; which in turn will contribute to raising productivity, and cementing the links between community members through the socialisation of carpoolers," commented Al Tayer.
Al Tayer said that individuals can register details of the car-sharing process where relevant permits can be issued electronically.
Al Tayer stated that the service, which was launched by the RTA in July 2008, had witnessed a steady growth in the number of registered users to as much as 16 per cent in 2014. He anticipated that with the new additions to the service, numbers would leapfrog in the near future given the special rewards and incentives offered by the RTA for users. He recalled that global benchmarking studies of carpooling systems indicate that the number of users usually range from five to 15 per cent of the total number of road users.
However, he notes, this rate goes to as high as 30 per cent in places where rewards and incentives are in place.
The new website/app enables surfers to search for vehicles using a number of variables to fine-tune their search and assist potential riders. The added features include saving search results for possible future use which saves users' time, displaying riders and drivers in a map, providing a control panel enabling users to update and display journey and personal details, and offering users the option of normal search or search through maps. The app provides details about the vehicle, a specific route, best-rated driver, and the most frequent routes. The passenger can look for drivers who ply routinely on a given route and one-time trips are also possible. Women passengers also have the option to ride with lady drivers.
- dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai