Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, RTA, participated in the 63rd UITP Global Public Transport Summit held in Stockholm, Sweden under the theme “Art of Public Transport”.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, headed RTA’s delegation at the event.
The summit, which takes place every two years, was a significant global gathering of transport experts to discuss the latest technological advancements of rail infrastructure and public transport systems.
More than 100 discussion panels were held during the summit, and the exhibition attracted more than 30,000 visitors. The RTA had a large stand to display Dubai’s public transport systems and projects and futuristic self-driving transport projects demonstrating the evolution and growth of the public transport sector in the Emirate.
Al Tayer attended the opening ceremony, which was inaugurated by Kristoffer Tamsons, Regional Minister for Transport of Region Stockholm and Chairman of Stockholm Public Transport; Pere Calvet, President of the International Association for Public Transport, UITP; Angela Maria Orozco, Minister of Transport, Republic of Colombia; Roland Ries, Mayor of Strasbourg; Rumaih bin Muhammad Al Rumaih, President, Public Transport Authority, Saudi Arabia, and scores of officials and specialists from all over the globe.
On the sidelines of the summit, the UITP General Assembly held a session in which Calvet was re-elected the president. The session also approved plans and programmes of the UITP for the next two years. The graduation of the second batch of UITP diploma of public transport managers was celebrated as well.
In a speech at the main discussion panel, Al Tayer highlighted RTA’s endeavours to lead the transformation towards self-driving transport. He cited Dubai Self-Driving Transport Strategy aimed at converting 25 percent of total mobility journeys into self-driving and smart transport journeys by 2030 from the current rate of 9 percent.
He also spoke about the global challenges of future mobility such as adapting the latest technological advancements to the existing infrastructure, understanding the impact of sophisticated systems on planning and the urban fabric, and sourcing the necessary funding. Among the challenges, he referred to was the offering of modern transit systems to the public at affordable rates, and ensuring the smooth migration from conventional systems to modern mobility patterns.