DUBAI, UAE: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has released its eighth annual Sustainability Report for the year 2022.
This report sheds light on RTA’s commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices in line with global standards set forth by the Global Reporting Initiative.
The release of the report underscores RTA’s dedication to transparency in showcasing its yearly sustainability performance.
It also reflects RTA’s commitment to enhancing sustainability across the board, achieving its vision of global leadership in fostering smooth and sustainable mobility as well as the sustainable development goals sought by the United Nations.
RTA is dedicated to realising the directives of visionary leadership. It made considerable progress in elevating Dubai’s global standing across a variety of fields, notably sustainability. In 2022, it launched its new strategic plan 2023 – 2030, aligning with the UAE government’s vision, “We are the Emirates 2031”. The plan is also aligned with the strategic directions of the emirate encapsulated in the Dubai Urban Plan 2040, which encompasses key chapters aimed at shaping Dubai into an integrated model of a sustainable city.
As a testament to its commitment to advancing sustainable mobility in Dubai, RTA’s new strategy prioritizes sustainability as its second strategic goal. The strategic pillars include Integration and Innovative Mobility, Sustainability, Health, Safety and security, Customer Happiness, and Anticipating the Future.
The Sustainability Report 2022 showcases RTA’s comprehensive approach to integrating sustainability into strategies and operations related to the environment, society, and governance. The release of the report coincides with the UAE’s hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in November. It illustrates RTA’s pivotal role in leveraging the latest technology to shape the future of sustainable mobility, and its commitment to transform Dubai into a world-class sustainable city. Such a transformation is driven by the optimal use of information and communications technology to foster wellbeing, operational efficiency, and service delivery. It promotes competitiveness and fulfils the economic, social, environmental, and cultural needs of present and future generations, ensuring the enduring legacy of sustainable development.
In line with its commitment to shaping the future of sustainable mobility, RTA endorsed a plan to transform taxis in Dubai (Dubai Taxi and franchise companies’ taxis) into 100% eco-friendly (hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered) by 2027. This move is consistent with RTA’s roadmap to have zero emissions of public transport in Dubai by 2050, and the Dubai Government’s strategic directions towards comprehensive environmental sustainability. RTA has rolled out 43 initiatives focused on energy and green economy, leading to unprecedented savings in 2022 amounting to 86 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 50 million litres of fuel, besides a reduction of 201,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
In a collaborative effort to devise innovative solutions for future transportation networks, part of RTA’s commitment to mapping out the future of autonomous mobility and supporting Dubai’s strategy for smart and self-driving transport aimed to transform 25% of mobility journeys in Dubai into smart and driverless journeys by 2030. Recently, RTA completed the initial phase of creating digital maps of Jumeriah streets, positioning Dubai as the first city outside the USA to commercially deploy Cruise’s autonomous vehicles. RTA and Cruise are working together to introduce the first autonomous taxi ride, with plans to roll out 4,000 vehicles by 2030.
From a community standpoint and sustainability framework, RTA reinforced its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by implementing 47 initiatives in 2020 benefiting around 53 million individuals, including people of determination, labourers, disadvantaged families, orphans, university students within RTA, the local community and friendly countries. CSR initiatives also attracted 409 male and female volunteers who contributed 3,817 volunteer hours, which resulted in financial savings worth approximately AED1 million.
From an economic standpoint, RTA partnered with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading financial centre in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region, to further the strategy and vision of the Dubai Government by offering world-class services that bolster Dubai’s role in regulating and supporting digital companies in private and commercial transport. The initiative specifically caters to corporate clients and institutions based in the DIFC Free Zone, enabling them to serve their customers through digital and smart platforms.
