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.
October 19, 2012 Read time: 1 min
6700 Dubai's Roads 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.

H.E. Matar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the RTA, says “The new service enables public transport users to pay their fares through the e-payment portal, top-up their Nol accounts electronically, and query balances via phone. The RTA has coordinated a trial run of the service with telecommunication providers Etisalat and Du to assess the performance of the service before its official launch in mid 2013.”

Related Content

  • April 26, 2013
    Customisable mobile ticketing launched
    ITS and electronic fare collection technology specialist Init has partnered with GlobeSherpa on the release of their fully-customisable mobile ticketing solution, Mobileticket. The companies claim this new smartphone application helps transit authorities connect with their passengers, reduce operating costs, and move into the future of open payment systems. For passengers, Mobileticket enables them to easily buy and use public transit passes via their mobile phone.
    Read More
  • December 5, 2017
    Hamburg’s on-demand alternative to commuting by car
    As Hamburg is confirmed as the host for the 2021 ITS World Congress, David Crawford looks at the city’s moves towards enabling MaaS-type operations. Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg, is pinning its civic reputation on having its promised all-electric, on-demand, shuttle bus ridesharing service up and running by 2018. Partners in the three-year project are regional metro and bus service provider Hamburger Hochbahn and Volkswagen Group’s Berlinbased mobility innovation subsidiary Moia, which was set
    Read More
  • May 23, 2013
    Arcontia Mifare Plus system for Nicaragua
    All 834 city buses in Managua, Nicaragua, are to be equipped with one of the most modern fare collection systems using Arcontia’s Mifare Plus smart cards and NXP’s Mifare AV2 Sam technology, together with Arcontia’s ARC3300 T5 ticket validators. Arcontia’s local partner, prepaid mobile money transfer/payment service company, MPeso has been chosen by the city of Managua in Nicaragua to design and operate their first and major electronic ticketing scheme in the country based on Arcontia’s contactless smart ca
    Read More
  • February 10, 2014
    Dubai's RTA plans US$985 million project spend in 2014
    Dubai's transport authority has approved a budget of just over US$1.9 billion for this year, with more than half allocated to new projects. Mattar Al Tayer, chairman and executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said around a third of the budget will be allocated to the Traffic and Roads Agency, a third to the Rail Agency, 13 per cent to the Public Transport Agency, and 17 per cent to be shared between the Licensing Agency, Administrative Support Services Sector, and Technical Support
    Read More

Highlighted Content