Public Transport Agency honours Rixos The Palm Dubai

Public Transport Agency honours Rixos The Palm Dubai

The move is made in recognition of the Hotel's role in establishing
a station for the Water Taxi

The Roads & Transport Authority – Nashwan Atta’ee:

The Marine Transport Dep't at the Public Transport Agency of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) always seeks to broaden and enhance the marine transit lines and link them with other mass transit means to prop up the public transport network in the Emirate which includes the metro and public busses in addition to the water transport means with the aim of providing an integrated transit system for the service of all community segments.

Essa Abdul Rahman Al Dosari, CEO of RTA Public Transport Agency, said: "Among the key success factors of any project, however big or small, is the concerted efforts of various parties. We, in the RTA, are very keen on involving the private sector in implementing our initiatives, and bolstering the services we offer to the users of mass transit systems in Dubai Emirate.

"The marine transit modes play a crucial role in enhancing the tourist movement in Dubai, particularly in cooperation with hotels privileged by a sea view. Thus the cooperation between the public and private sectors in this area is vital for supporting the tourist-oriented public transit means which serve a wide segment of visitors, tourists and residents alike.

"Among the hotels that have been engaged in a fruitful cooperation with the public Transport Agency is Rixos The Palm Dubai; which is situated in The Palm Jumeirah, where the hotel management designated a wharf on which a Water Taxi station was built," stated the CEO of Public Transport Agency.

Al Dosari praised this constructive step and cooperation between the Public Transport Agency and Rixos The Palm Dubai considering it a blueprint for broadening the scope of bilateral cooperation towards enhancing the tourist profile of the Dubai Emirate, and supporting the local tourist industry with a safe, speedy and luxurious marine transport, especially during the busy tourist season; which is marked by an influx of tourists & visitors to Dubai Emirate.

To recognize this role played by the Hotel in realizing this objective, the Public Transport Agency honoured the Hotel management in a meeting held of late in the Hotel in the presence of the CEO of Public Transport Agency Essa Al Dossari, and the General Manager of the Rixos The Palm Dubai, Erol Sezer, in addition to several directors & staff from the Public Transport Agency and the Hotel.

"The RTA is keen on involving private organizations in the implementation of several projects & initiatives with the aim of achieving positive results for customers of both parties through sharing expertise & information and working in a team spirit based on transparency, cooperation and high professionalism,” said Al Dossari in final remark.

For his part the General Manager of Rixos The Palm Dubai, Erol Sezer expressed his deep delight with this felicitation by the Public Transport Agency. Meanwhile he commended the projects achieved or currently undertaken by the Public transport Agency for serving public transport commuters in Dubai Emirate, including passengers of marine transit modes.

“We, in Rixos The Palm Dubai are working on broadening and boosting our cooperative links with the RTA represented by the Public Transport Agency with a view to nurturing a common business environment that offers best services to visitors of our hotel and users of the Water Taxi in general. Through the concerted efforts of both parties, we will be able to deliver on our objectives,” said Sezer.

Among the objectives sought by the Public Transport Agency and Rixos The Palm Dubai is to bring about mutual benefits through chalking out the scope and framework of the partnership relations between the two parties, making joint efforts for improving the performance of marine transit services with greater emphasis on raising the efficiency of the Water Taxi and Ferry Dubai services, and promoting the marine transit services inside the hotel.

Among the goals served by this Agreement is Goal No (3): Customers First; which requires heeding to the demands of customers and raising their satisfaction rating with the mass transit services in the Emirate, Goal No (4); which relates to promoting the use of mass transit means and augmenting the number of users of these means, and Goal No (6); which relates to the financial sustainability through increased revenues of the Water Taxi, optimal utilization of assets, and enhanced interaction between the public & private sectors.

Other initiatives will also be made to involve the largest possible number of hotels that have sea fronts in Dubai in a step that aims to boost the culture of public transport and linking the public transport network in the Emirate with the neighbouring hotels as well as those in the downtown.

At the end of the meeting, the CEO of RTA Public Transport Agency Abdul Rahman Al Dossari presented to the General Manager of the Rixos The Palm Dubai Erol Sezer a RTA trophy as well as Certificates of Commendation to the staff of the Hotel who contributed to realizing the objective. The move signals recognition and appreciation on the part of the RTA for the hotel management & staff; lauding their continued efforts in boosting the Water Taxi services.

*** Ends ***

Rixos Hotels
Rixos Hotels, established in 2000, is one of the world’s fastest growing, luxury hotel chains. Dedicated to offering traditional Turkish hospitality and a unique spa experience in the finest surroundings and luxury ambience, the Antalya based group owns and operates premium resorts & villas including city hotels in key regions as diverse as Turkey, Southeast Europe, CIS Countries, North Africa and now the Middle East.

The Rixos portfolio of exceptional properties is sited in prime and historic locations. With more than 6,000 staff serving all its properties, the Rixos Hotels have developed an innovative guest experience that blends the best of the new and old. Designed to offer a unique luxury long stay experience, the Rixos villas are beautifully furnished.

Tailor-made service with private butler and concierge is the ultimate choice of the world’s most distinguished travelers. At the heart of every Rixos hotel is a revitalizing Wellness and Spa Center with anauthentic Turkish Hammam, offering a unique spa treatment, menu and atmosphere.

Known for their hospitality, attentive personalized service and fine cuisine, Rixos Hotels received global recognition and top ratings from distinguished specialist professional bodies such as the American Five Star Diamond Award, Conde Nast, and Great Hotels of the World. The group is pleased to be the leisure hotel of choice for discerning specialist travel and tour operators.

Rixos Hotels is continuing its rapid growth with particular focus on Eastern and Middle Europe, the Mediterranean Coasts, North Africa and the Arabian Gulf region. The group’s vision and mission is to become a brand leader in the premium global hospitality industry.

For more information about the company, please visit www.rixos.com

RTA inaugurates online taxi booking service

RTA inaugurates online taxi booking service

In a step to enhance Dubai e-government applications

Roads & Transport Authority – Nashwan Att’aee:
RTA's Public Transport Agency; which oversees taxi sector in Dubai Emirate, has recently launched Online Taxi Booking service, known as e-Taxi. RTA offers this service to the residents and visitors of Dubai as it is vitally important during events that warrant prior arrangements to be made by hotels, businesses and organizations in certain occasions such as Dubai Shopping Festival. Through this service, the customer can book the required taxicab well in advance to ensure timely arrival at the required destination.

Commenting on the new service, the CEO of Public Transport Agency Mr. Essa Abdul-Rahman Al Dosari said: “RTA is always seeking to implement Dubai e-Government electronic applications through capitalizing on the world’s top-notch technological solutions. The online taxi booking service is based on having the customer’s details and address saved in the Dispatch system at the Public Transport Agency; which makes it easy to process the booking in subsequent times. A taxi can be booked 24 / 7 through accessing the link (http://rta.ae/etaxi), and this service is currently available for hotels only.

“This service is based on two key elements; the customer and cabdriver. The customer books a taxi and sends the booking request to the Dispatch Section at the Public Transport Agency. The system electronically forwards the request to the nearest taxicab available in the area of the customer. The cabdriver who receives the request is held responsible for auctioning the request and ensuring arrival to the customer on time without delay,” continued Al Dosari.

“The Online taxi booking service would be fully available to the public and all segments of the community at the end of this year. This service is poised to bring about a remarkable cut in the number of telephone calls incoming to the Dispatch Section at the Public Transport Agency. This would in turn slash the number of working hours spent by the Dispatch Section staff for processing the incoming telephone call requests, as the electronic system of the e-Taxi service is automatically operated and is highly efficient in processing the requests. This in turn would contribute to uplifting the caliber of services provided by the RTA to taxi passengers in the Emirate of Dubai,” added the CEO of Public Transport Agency.
“The launch of this service was widely received, for the time being, by the hotels in Dubai Emirate, and is expected to boost the revenues of franchise companies operating under RTA's umbrella. With the number of internet users in the UAE accounting for a high proportion of the total number of population, we anticipate a rise in the e-Taxi service requests when the service becomes available to the public on due course,” concluded Al Dossari.

288m commuters use mass transport systems in Dubai in 2009

288m commuters use mass transport systems in Dubai in 2009

Dubai Metro is set to commute 35m passengers in 2010

Al Tayer: Dubai mass transit modes lift 842k travelers a day and the number set to rise

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), revealed that RTA mass transit modes (comprising Dubai Metro, public buses, marine transport modes and taxis) had lifted more than 288.777 million persons in 2009 and the daily ridership of public transport modes exceeded 842 thousand peoples. “This number is likely to grow with the successive opening of more metro stations on the Red Line starting from April 2010 and continuing over the remaining months of the year. Dubai Metro is expected to commute about 35 million passengers in 2010 and the number of metro users is to receive a big boost with the opening of the Green Line in August 2011” stated Al Tayer.

“In keeping with RTA Strategic Plan envisioning integrated mass transit systems; which is aligned with Dubai Strategic Plan (Infrastructure Sector) that seeks to have in place an integrated roads and transportation system characterized by smooth traffic flow and high safety levels to all users, RTA is strenuously seeking to upgrade mass transit modes with a view to making them the favourite means of transportation for the people of Dubai. This drive also meets one of RTA strategic objectives vis-à-vis minimizing the use of private vehicles and raising the share of mass transportation systems from 6% in 2009 to 30% by 2020” stated RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director.

“In 2009, public bus ridership hit 120 million persons with a daily ridership of 325 thousand passengers, and the ridership of marine transport systems (abras and the water bus) was about 17 million passengers. Daily ridership was in the order of 50 thousand persons in abras, and 1500 persons in the water bus.

“Since it was launched on 09/09/2009 till the end of February 2010, Dubai Metro has lifted about 11.29 million persons with an estimated daily ridership of 80 thousand commuters. This number is likely to rise with the operation of several key metro stations such as Airport Terminal 1 Station, Karama Station, Trade Center Station and Ibn Battuta Station among others, on 25 April 2010 such that the metro ridership in 2010 is anticipated to reach 35 million persons. This number will be substantially increased with the operation of the Green Line in August 2011 as it serves vital areas as well as commercial and government offices, and passes across a densely populated area.

“Taxicabs in Dubai Emirate make about 192 thousand trips every day, lifting about 385 thousand persons each day. In 2009 taxi trips exceeded 70 million trips serving around 140.45 million persons.

“The huge investments pumped by the Government of Dubai in developing the infrastructure of transport sector have proved successful and effective. The rising growth in the number of mass transport users illustrates the evolution of public transport culture among all segments of the community, particularly with the introduction of the metro service.

“Using mass transportation has multifarious benefits to users such as bringing psychological relief, minimizing crashes, slashing fuel & maintenance expenditure for private vehicles, and ridding the public of the inconvenience of finding a parking slot; which has become one of the challenges facing most modern cities across the globe. Moreover, using public transport effectively contributes to minimizing pollution resulting from the massive number of private vehicles, triggering many illnesses; particularly respiratory diseases.

“RTA is always seeking to improve its business process through introducing innovative solutions and strategic initiatives stemmed out of its vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All. It is also upgrading the quality of services rendered to the public in a way befitting the regional and global profile of Dubai in the fields of commerce, business, service, finance, property, tourism and other vital sectors” said Al Tayer in a concluding remark.

Photo captions:
 Mattar Al Tayer
 Metro riders on the rise
 Public buses linking various areas of the emirate
 Marine transport linking the shores of Dubai Creek