Taxis in Dubai have smart devices to curb driver malpractices

Dubai - RTA control centre can stop the vehicle in emergencies.

(Supplied photo)

By Web Report

Published: Sat 16 Jan 2021, 12:20 PM

Last updated: Sat 16 Jan 2021, 12:30 PM

The Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has been using big data and artificial intelligence to enhance the smart control of vehicles.

Taxis have been fitted with devices to curb the malpractices of drivers.

These include a system to stop the vehicle by the control centre in emergencies; a backup tracking system; and vehicle distribution and scheduling system.

This came as Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), was briefed about the DTC’s initiatives in 2020.

The DTC started to use big data to operate taxis in high-demand areas. The system was applied to the Al Quoz and Mina Rashid stations and contributed to raising the operational efficiency of the two stations by 83 per cent at peak times.

It also increased the DTC’s market share from 22 to 50 per cent at Al Quoz, and from 36 to 46 per cent at Mina Rashid. It intends to expand the use of big data to include Dubai Airports, Muhaisnah, Jebel Ali and Al Maktoum Airport.

Tawseel

Al Tayer was briefed about the Tawseel initiative. Last March, the DTC used the delivery service in collaboration with the first and last-mile challenge companies and cooperative societies via smart apps.

About 220 vehicles were engaged in the project and the number of transactions delivered reached 141,000 by the end of last year. The DTC contracted with 12 companies and entities to deliver orders to clients.

Virtual control

Al Tayer was also briefed on the virtual control centre initiative, which uses future technologies and a mixed-reality command and control application.

The centre generates a three-dimensional map of the current operational status of Dubai Taxi fleet along with performance indicators.

The system can give direct orders and make adjustments using hand gestures, and provide all data in a single view to facilitate the decision-making. It will also increase the number of productive trips, thanks to the knowledge of demand spots and the smart routing capabilities of the fleet.