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In a recent visit to the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), inaugurated the new control centre of Dubai Taxi, which covers all taxi services. He also reviewed the new corporate identity and logo scheme of the DTC that will be officially this March. Al Tayer also reviewed the smart transformation plan of DTC (2018-2020) aimed at utilising Artificial Intelligence in taxi services.
During the visit to the DTC, Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes accompanied Al Tayer, CEO of Rail Agency cum Chair of DTC Supervisory Board. Also, in attendance were Dr Yousef Al Ali, CEO of DTC and several directors of RTA and DTC.
During the inauguration, Al Tayer was briefed about the control centre; which has been equipped with the latest technologies for monitoring and operating the taxi service. With a capacity for 11 staff per shift, the centre can manage the operation of 5,200 taxis, and 373 school buses serving 17 schools.
The centre also monitors negative practices of offensive drivers, attendance & dispersal of students and bus conductors, tracks bus movement, and controls the fleet. It also manages the operation of 505 limousines, ‘Mashaweer’ and ‘In Safe Hands’ services as well as the smart towing service. It also enables electronic surveillance of taxi movement, verifies compliance with work controls, and moves stopping and late-coming vehecles.
It enables responding to the calls of drivers and directs them to areas experiencing high demand. It also measures the daily efficiency of vehicles movement, analyses data, and acts appropriately to step up the performance level. The centre also monitors the integration with the Enterprise Command & Control Centre (EC3) systems of RTA.
Smart Transformation
Al Tayer reviewed the new corporate identity and logo of Dubai Taxi Corporation. It maintains the brand name, reduces it to three letters and integrates it in the revamped design of the DTC logo.
He reviewed DTC’s Smart Transformation Plan (2018-2020) based on three pillars: Clients, Drivers and Employees. As for Clients, DTC has accomplished 20 projects out of 36 projects designed to improve the services to customers and make them happier. Schools buses were fitted with devices for tracking and monitoring buses and students for added security & safety. Buses were also equipped with GPS systems, radio waves to scan identity, app, booking and students smart tracking systems. DTC has also upgraded its website to cover introductory information about services on offer and the booking of services online.
As for drivers, DTC has automated 38 out of 61 services. It had launched the drivers’ stress measurement system operated via cameras fixed in the taxi’s interior to focus on the driver’s face only to monitor his motion and condition to detect any signs of fatigue or emergency conditions. The system sends automated alerts to the driver and cautionary signals to the control centre to assure the safety of drivers and riders.
For the employees, DTC has accomplished 20 automated projects out of 58 projects. Amongst the most important projects that have been recently completed is the taxi smart technical testing system; which has reduced the time taken in testing taxis from 40 minutes to just four minutes maximum. The system had also cut short the number of required testing supervisors from five to one only.
Artificial Intelligence
Al Tayer also reviewed plans and projects of the smart taxi transformation including the application of artificial intelligence in serving the Airport Taxi, digital ads, and smart booking besides using hologram technology, and the smart chat for serving both employees and drivers.
Al Tayer also reviewed the new services launched by the DTC such as the royal limo. It is a deluxe vehicle fitted with display monitors, video communication with the chauffeur, internet, fridge, internal speakers, massage seats, and a USB port for charging mobile phones.
Convertible Limo
During the visit, Al Tayer also inspected the Range Rover Evoque convertible limo, which offers a unique mobility experience befitting the luxury of Dubai.
This service is provided in certain areas such as Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, JBR and City Walk. He also inspected the Limo Bike, which offers riders and tourists an exceptional mobility experience, especially in winter, besides providing quick mobility solutions during peak hours at high-population-density areas.
Al Tayer was delighted with the operational results, initiatives and plans of the DTC. He called for broadening the use of artificial intelligence and smart technologies in the taxi sector and improving the performance to achieve customers’ happiness. Al Tayer concluded by calling for higher integration of multi-modal transit systems to ease the mobility of public transport riders to their final destinations (last mile).
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