Dubai motorists will soon be able to pay for valet parking services without reaching for their wallet under a digital payment system to be introduced by the emirate's road toll operator.
Salik Company has signed a strategic partnership with Valtrans Transportation Systems and Services (Valtrans), a leading valet parking provider, to allow fees to be paid without cash or cards at more than 100 locations across the emirate.
The agreement will enable charges to be deducted from Salik e-wallets, typically used by drivers to pay for road toll gate fees.
The digital service will be available at a wide variety of venues with valet services operated by Valtrans, including Mall of the Emirates and Dubai International Financial Centre.
It was not made clear when the digital payment service will be introduced.
It is the latest step by Salik to expand the range of services it offers, beyond managing Dubai's network of 10 road toll gates.
In May last year, Salik joined forces with Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) to allow fuel payments at service stations to be deducted from Salik e-wallets.
Salik has also struck deals with Emaar to manage barrier-free parking at Dubai Mall and with Dubai Holding and Parkonic to oversee payment options for thousands of parking spaces in Dubai.
In January, Salik signed an agreement to enable e-wallet parking at Dubai International Airport.
“Through our strategic partnerships, we continue to leverage our advanced infrastructure to deliver innovative, customer-centric solutions that simplify journeys, enhance service integration, and reinforce Salik’s role as a trusted enabler of sustainable mobility in the UAE,” said Ibrahim Sultan Al Haddad, chief executive of Salik.
Imad Alameddine, group chief executive of Valtrans, said the initiative would make parking more convenient for customers.
“This partnership provides our customers with an easier and more seamless way to pay for valet parking services across our network of locations in the UAE,” he said.
Valtrans delivers valet parking services across airports, hospitality, retail, health care and public-sector locations.
What is Salik?
The Salik system was introduced in 2007 to ease traffic congestion, raise state revenue and encourage residents to use public transport.
The first two gates were installed in Al Garhoud and Al Barsha, with Safa and Al Maktoum Bridge gates added a year later. In 2013, three more were introduced, at Airport Tunnel and Al Mamzar South and North. In 2018, the Jebel Ali gate was created.
Two new Salik gates – at the Business Bay Crossing on Al Khail Road and at Al Safa South on Sheikh Zayed Road – were activated in November.
Motorists are charged to pass through each gate, with the amount deducted automatically from tags fixed to vehicle windscreens. The tags can be bought online or at service stations and topped up online or through recharge cards.
Salik posted a sharp rise in revenue and profits for last year following the introduction of new gates and higher pricing.
Full-year revenue was up 35 per cent to Dh3.1 billion ($840m) and net profit was up 33.4 per cent to Dh1.5bn ($410m), according to a public filing to the Dubai Financial Market last month.
