Dubai's RTA reveals plans to encourage delivery companies to switch to electric bikes

The authority aims to develop charging stations across the emirate to meet Dubai's net-zero goals

Dubai's Road and Transport Authority plans to open electric bicycle charging stations across the emirate. Photo: RTA

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has revealed plans to encourage delivery companies to make the switch to electric bikes.

The new initiative – which aims to reduce carbon emissions in the emirate – also includes plans to establish charging stations across the city.

RTA said it also plans to amend licensing and registration requirements to encourage delivery companies to adopt greener modes of transport.

The authority has also begun to develop a suitable model of electric bicycle designed with delivery drivers in mind.

Muhannad Al Muhairi, RTA's director of the Commercial Transport Activities Department at the Licensing Agency, said the new green initiative is in line with the Year of Sustainability as well as the Dubai Vision 2030 strategy of reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent.

He said it also aims to reduce the rate of accidents, lower operational costs by lessening reliance on fossil fuels and discourage negative driving behaviours in the emirate.

The initiative comes after Careem, which operates a ride-hailing app and a food delivery service, announced it would introduce electric delivery bikes on Dubai's roads by the end of this month.

The move is part of a drive towards providing more carbon-neutral transport options in the emirate.

The company declined to say how many electric motorbikes would be introduced in the first phase, but a senior figure at Careem said the goal was to have 1,000 electric bikes on the emirate's roads by the end of next year.

“It's very important to us to improve our region and one way of doing this is to support the net-zero objectives of the UAE,” Sami Amin, senior director of operations for Careem Bike, told The National.

Green transport strategy

The electric bike strategy comes as Dubai steps up efforts to make its transport sector more eco-friendly.

In May, the RTA revealed a plan to have net-zero emission public transport by 2050.

The authority said in addition to the public transport project, it also aims to minimise its carbon footprint in its buildings and waste-management plants.

Over the coming year, the RTA plans to decarbonise all taxis, limousines and public buses, design its buildings with near-zero energy consumption, source energy from renewable sources and eliminate municipal waste.

It said the strategy would result in reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes and save Dh3.3 billion.