Ahmed bin Mohammed opens 4th MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition

DUBAI, 6th February 2022 (WAM) – Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, today opened the fourth edition of the MENA Transport Congress & Exhibition 2022. Organised by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in collaboration with the Belgium-based International Association of Public Transport (UITP).

The three-day event has brought together heads of government departments, 1,000 participants and 73 speakers from 19 countries. About 40 entities from 17 countries are taking part in the accompanying exhibition.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed was received at Dubai World Trade Centre, the venue of the event, by Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, and Khalid Al-Hogail, President of the UITP, who briefed His Highness on public transport projects in the region including Route 2020 of Dubai Metro, Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, Bus Operation and Maintenance outsourcing in Dubai, Al Bahrain Metro, Al Riyadh Metro, Bus Service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, BRT Buses in Jordan, Monorail, Metro and High-Speed Railways in Egypt and BRT Buses in Morocco.

Wiebe Wakker, a Sustainable Adventurer, delivered a speech highlighting his experience of travelling by an electric vehicle to Australia and the challenges he faced during the trip. He also talked about his experience of living in the UAE for three months and the key lessons learned, as well as his journey from the UAE to Sydney, Australia.

Wakker spoke about his journey by train from the Dutch city of Amsterdam to Dubai. He touched on some of his experiences during the trip in some Arab countries, and how they have enriched his life. He praised the UAE’s infrastructure development, the quality of its roads and transportation infrastructure, and the smooth movement between cities in the country.

The Congress includes 13 sessions, five of which are main sessions. Topics to be discussed in the main sessions include mobility in the post-Covid-19 phase, the role of MENA mobility leaders in defining the future of mobility in the region, smart mobility management, future cities, and the role of female leaders in public transport. Other sessions will discuss the smart transport service, eco-friendly electric buses, artificial intelligence and big data, first and last-mile trips, post-pandemic sustainability, post-pandemic public transportation services, and technology enablers.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honoured the winners of the 4th Transport Hackathon for university and college students. The winners of the Hackathon include:

1st Prize Winner: Scooty App

An app to make travelling with e-scooters a safer, faster, and a more sustainable experience. It has a ScootAssist to monitor the scooter’s speed and the rider’s behaviour. It has a virtual map of the safe route for riders’ scooters on the metaverse.

2nd Prize Winner Salem App

An app to monitor the health and safety of delivery personnel using phone sensors, GPS, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to ensure safe driving behaviour is adhered to.

3rd Prize Winner Steady App

An app to ensure the smooth mobility of People of Determination in public transport. Its sensors determine their whereabouts and automatically transmits text messages to the staff of public transport stations to keep them notified so that they can sure their safe mobility inside the station and public transport vehicles.

Sponsors Honoured

Sheikh Ahmed also honoured the Strategic Sponsors of the congress,: the Transport General Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Keolis Group (operator of the Dubai metro and tram) and FAMCO (a subsidiary of Al-Futtaim Group). He also honoured the Gold Sponsors Etihad Rail and Alstom. Additionally, His Highness felicitated the following Main Sponsors: the French RATP Dev, China National Construction Corporation, Hyundai Juma Al Majid, Turkish Gunal Construction, Visa, and Waagner biro.

Later, Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed, accompanied by Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, opened the accompanying exhibition. The event features the participation of 40 entities from 17 countries showcasing the latest solutions in the industry.