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IN FOCUS |
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by Matthew W. Daus, Esq. |
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by Brook Taye |
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On April 2016, we were invited to participate in the Middle East and North Africa Transport Congress conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The conference was organized by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) which is one of the oldest associations that focuses on improving public transportation in cities all over the world. UITP has members that are public transport authorities and operators, policy decision makers, research institutes and public transport suppliers.
This trip to the region coincided with the shift in policy that is being advocated by governments in the region to introduce a more sustainable transportation platform. They seek to accommodate the growing ambitions of cities in the region with residents from all over the world.
Professor Daus delivers a key speech before the Middle East North Africa conference of the UITP (International Association of Public Transport), with public transit government officials and industry from around the globe.
At the opening session of the conference, we delivered a presentation discussing the various transportation related challenges that cities are grappling with. His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced that by 2030, 25% of all transportation trips in Dubai will be smart and driverless. This vision of the Dubai government comes as part of Dubai's strategy to become the "smartest city" in the world and achieve a sustainable economy in the UAE.
The conference was also used as a platform to highlight what our transportation future would look like. Many of the speakers, exhibitors and participants discussed the challenges and opportunities of world class cities like Dubai as they continue to grow as hubs for sustainable and equitable transportation systems.
One of the highlights of the exhibition was the demonstration of a 6 seat driverless car called EZ10 that is being tested in 25 locations in Dubai. We had the opportunity to test the functionality of the vehicle and discussed with its operators how this new mode of transportation will serve to limit excessive personal motor vehicle congestion.
During our extensive tour of the region, I had the pleasure of meeting and discussing sustainable transportation issues with local fleet operators and taxi regulators in Dubai and Abu Dhabi of the UAE, Doha, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Their business model and regulatory approaches are clearly unique and effective.
In Dubai, we met with the principal and management team of Cars Taxi Dubai and visited the excellent operations of a transportation company that prides itself as an operation with drivers at its epicenter.
Equipped with modern transportation technology, Cars Taxi Dubai operates over 4,000 taxicabs and employee drivers from all over the world. Driver facilities at the company's headquarters include:
a psychiatrist that interacts with drivers with personal problems that range from social to economic issues;
a training center for new drivers which includes vehicle parts and taxi driving simulators;
24/7 medical facilities to provide emergency care related to operating a vehicle;
rest areas equipped with state of the art entertainment facilities, including:
a barber shop open 24 hours per day;
a mosque within walking distance and prayer areas located throughout the facility;
a car wash and detailing center;
a major driver incentive program that includes first class or "front-of-the-line" access to facilities and benefits for the safest drivers;
a driver village where housing is provided to drivers; and
a command and control center with geo-mapping, real time analytics and dispatch capabilities.
The operation of Cars Taxi Dubai is one of the best we have seen, and the company has successfully transformed a passenger based model of taxicab operation into one that promotes the driver as a flag bearer of the company and its services. This unique fleet based transportation business model provides detailed attention to the issues that would lessen the difficulty of operating a vehicle for long hours. This would result in improvements in service quality, health and safety of the driver.
Local government regulators at the RTA recognized these innovative efforts by naming a driver of Cars Taxi Dubai as one of the safest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cars Taxi Dubai CEO, Mr. Abdullah Sultan Al Sabbagh and his team were truly gracious hosts, and he is a true, caring, experienced and innovative operator whose work should be modeled and emulated globally.
Matt Daus takes a test drive in an autonomous vehicle in Dubai.
The trip to the Abu Dhabi included a visit to the taxi and for hire regulator known as TransAd. Our long term member of the IATR, and CEO of TransAd, Mr. Mohamed Al Qamzi, discussed extensively the opportunities and challenges of the taxi industry in his city, the capital of the UAE.
He walked us through how TransAd built and launched a universal taxi app two years ago. This was done way before cities in other parts of the world started to recognize the pivotal role a universal app would play to better regulate the industry and deliver improved customer experience.
TransAd is also fortunate to receive complete data that is related to taxi and for hire ridership from all franchises. As a result, with the support of a team of data analysts dedicated to mining these full data sets that the entity receives, TransAd has implemented a proactive approach in understanding and addressing the issues faced by franchisees and their drivers.
Brook Taye, of Windels Marx, receives a demonstration in a Dubai Cars Taxi simulator used to train taxi drivers.
The Dubai Cars Taxi control center.
Matt Daus receives a demonstration in a Dubai Cars Taxi simulator used to train taxi drivers.
At the UITP conference, at a panel discussion on Integrating Taxi Services in Public Transport, left to right are: Adel Shakri, Director of the Transportation Systems Department for the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); Khan Yildizgoz, Training Director of the UITP; Abdullah Sultan Al Sabbagh, CEO/Chairman of Cars Taxi Group; Matthew Daus; and Turancan Salur, Chairman/Co-Founder of BiTaksi.
Abdullah Sultan Al Sabbagh, CEO/Chairman of Cars Taxi Group holds court with his executive team, providing Matt Daus and Brook Taye of Windels Marx with a complete tour and orientation.
Professor Daus (left) tours the facilities of the Abu Dhabi government's regulator, TransAD, with Mohamed Al Qamzi, General Manager of TransAD.
The multiple revenue related data received by the office has also enabled the office to make an objective decision when considering taxicab fare increases. There is a lot TransAd could share with other regulators and to discuss the success it has had with its universal app project.
Many around the world have no idea how efficient and cutting edge the regulatory systems and taxicab industry is in UAE. Abu Dhabi has already had a "universal taxi app" for many years while those in North America are just beginning to look at this issue as if it is a completely new thing.
There are some who doubt the role of regulators. They speak of government agencies and incumbent industries as being out of touch with innovative technology developments and behind the times. It is eye opening to see how government agencies and the incumbent industry worked together to share data. As well, they innovate without disruptive companies being involved. They provide prompt and inexpensive taxi service in an environment where drivers are treated like royalty.
