Steering towards futuristic transportation

The 64th UITP Global Public Transport Summit, held in Barcelona, Spain, saw the active participation of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The event, which brought together 1,900 delegates from 100 countries, featured 300 speakers engaging in 85 sessions to discuss the latest concepts and visions of urban and sustainable mobility. Alongside the summit, an exhibition hosted by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) showcased the innovations and solutions of 335 specialised companies across a sprawling 40,000 sqm.

During the opening session, Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the board of executive directors of RTA, delivered a keynote address in the presence of Raquel Sánchez Jiménez, Spanish minister for transport, mobility and urban agenda; Khalid AlHogail, president of UITP and Ada Colau, mayor of Barcelona, Spain. He highlighted Dubai’s commitment to enhancing sustainable and innovative transport across all public and shared means of transportation. “Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the follow-up of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, emphasis is being made on adopting resilient government processes and envisioning the future besides keeping pace with the rapid changes experienced by the world, and developing future solutions for challenges of all kinds,” noted Al Tayer.

He emphasised that over the past 18 years, Dubai has invested Dh146 billion in developing roads and transport infrastructure. Notably, he mentioned that Dubai aims to increase the usage of self-driving transport means from the current 10 per cent to 25 per cent by 2030, while also highlighting the rise in public and shared transport usage from six per cent in 2006 to 19.4 per cent in 2022.

The summit, held biennially, focuses on infrastructure, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and integrated transport networks. This year’s theme, ‘Bright Light of the City,’ aimed to provide smooth and safe transport solutions. Al Tayer emphasised Dubai’s commitment to resilient government processes, envisioning the future, and developing future solutions for challenges of all kinds.

Al Tayer further outlined Dubai’s ambitious plans for sustainable transport, including transforming all mass transit means into environment-friendly options with zero carbon emissions by 2050. He stressed that the UITP Global Public Transport Summit plays a vital role in discussing and showcasing the latest innovations and practices of sustainability in public transport. Al Tayer extended an invitation for the fifth UITP MENA Public Transport Congress, to be hosted by Dubai in 2024.

Highlighting Dubai’s pioneering role in innovative mobility, Al Tayer mentioned various ongoing initiatives, such as trials of autonomous vehicles, aerial taxis, and marine transport modes. He also highlighted the Dubai Metro as the world’s longest driverless metro system, transporting over two billion riders since its inception while maintaining exceptional safety and operational efficiency.

RTA’s stand at the exhibition showcased strategic initiatives, ambitious plans, and future projects. These included the digital twinning of railways in Dubai Metro, the zero-emissions public transportation in Dubai 2050 strategy, the trial of electric buses, and the upcoming launch of cruise autonomous vehicles. The stand also featured the aerial taxi project, which aims to establish a sophisticated network for vertical take-off and landing by 2026, making Dubai the world’s first city to have such a system.

During his inspection tour, Al Tayer visited various stands, gaining insights into the latest innovations in public buses, smart transport technologies, and railway operations. “RTA’s innovative mobility projects are a testament to the effective collaboration between the Dubai Government and several leading technology companies working in tandem toward realising RTA’s vision ‘The World Leader in Seamless and Sustainable Mobility’,” elaborated Al Tayer. Additionally, RTA received the UITP Award in the Multimodal Integration category for its multimodal transport integration for mega events project related to Dubai Expo 2020.

Overall, Dubai’s participation in the UITP Global Public Transport Summit showcased its commitment to sustainable and innovative mobility solutions highlighting the city’s ambitious plans.

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