Skip to main content

Dubai aims towards cashless transit 

Dubai RTA and Visa are collaborating to improve the Nol card used on public transport
By Ben Spencer May 17, 2021 Read time: 2 mins
RTA says the studies will identify digital payment opportunities to enable a cashless economy (© Frantic00 | Dreamstime.com)

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is collaborating with Visa to identify solutions to improve the Nol electronic ticketing card used on public transport in the emirate.

The parties will conduct joint studies to identify customer pain points and design optimal solutions. 

These will seek to identify digital payment opportunities in the transport space that can enable a cashless economy.

In a second phase, the RTA will also participate in workshops and programmes conducted by Visa.

Mohammed Yousuf Al Mudharreb, CEO of RTA’s corporate technology support services sector, says: “RTA had established the 'Nol Strategy 2020-2023' to make Nol the leading digital ticketing payment and access platform enabling seamless mobility, to achieve the vision of cashless city.”

In this regard, the RTA introduced the Nol Pay application this year, enabling customers to store Nol cards digitally in their mobile phones. The cards can also be used for payment in more than 13,000 retail outlets in United Arab Emirates as well as public parks and museums.

Shahebaz Khan, Visa’s general manager for UAE, says: “We have seen a significant increase in consumer preference for digital payments, especially contactless, amid Covid-19 and contactless ticketing solutions will help transform passenger experience and make Dubai more connected. The consumer study will be useful in identifying consumer needs that will help us develop the right digital payment products for commuters.”
 

Related Content

  • March 6, 2020
    Dubai RTA signs BeemCar ‘sky pod’ deal
    Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has its sights set on higher things than cars.
  • October 19, 2012
    Dubai introduces contactless payment on public transport
    Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) is to launch a contactless fare payment system on the city’s metro, public buses and water bus. Passengers will be able to pay by smart mobile phones using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The RTA says that contactless technology, where the mobile phone is passed over sensors mounted on the access gates to public transport stations, is the first of its kind in the Middle East.
  • December 16, 2015
    Dubai introduces new speed-monitoring technology for public buses
    Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has upgraded the automatic vehicle monitoring (AVM) system used to monitor the movement of buses by introducing a new technology enabling instant monitoring of bus speed. The system fitted to buses and linked to the control centre aims at conserving the lives and properties. Explaining the new technology, Musa Al Raeesi, director of Transportation Systems, RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said it was imperative to resort to advanced speed-monitoring technologies