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.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • P3 agreement sets out to improve public transit travel in Boston
    March 27, 2018
    Cubic subsidiary Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) and John Laing Consortium have executed an agreement with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to implement and operate a new fare payment system. The public-private partnership (P3) has formed with the intention of improving the quality of public transit travel for passengers in a base contract valued $699m (£493m). The system intends to allow passengers to create personalised transit accounts to see ride history, check balances, add
    Read More
  • Transit Windsor rolls out intelligent transportation system
    February 17, 2017
    Transit Windsor in Ontario, Canada has begun the testing phase of its new intelligent transportation system (ITS) as part of an ongoing effort to create a more efficient, safer and more user-friendly public transit system. Currently, ten Transit Windsor buses are equipped with the new system and providing automated stop announcements. This system provides onboard voice and visual announcements, which include next stop messages. Voice announcements are coordinated with display signs inside the bus. Pre-b
    Read More
  • San Diego transit to go free - Pronto!
    July 2, 2021
    MTS is planning 'aggressive campaign' for transition to Pronto card during September
    Read More
  • OCTA partners with Init for mobile ticketing project
    January 11, 2017
    Init Innovations in Transportation has partnered with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in California for the implementation of electronic fare readers and a back-office revenue management system for the agency’s 556 fixed-route vehicle fleet. OCTA operates countywide bus and paratransit services, as well as the planning, financing and coordinating of Orange County's freeway, street and rail development and operation of the 91 Express Lanes. Init will install its PROXmobil3 fare reader
    Read More

Highlighted Content