Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai will be releasing 20 unique number plates bearing Expo 2020 Dubai logo.
Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai will be releasing 20 unique number plates bearing Expo 2020 Dubai logo.
Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai will be releasing 20 unique number plates bearing Expo 2020 Dubai logo.
Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai will be releasing 20 unique number plates bearing Expo 2020 Dubai logo.

Transport

Expo 2020 number plates to be auctioned in Dubai

Keen bidders looking to own one of 20 unique registration plates will get chance during RTA auction on September 28

The National

October 14, 2019

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  • Arabic

The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai has announced it will be releasing 20 unique number plates bearing the Expo 2020 Dubai logo.

To mark the countdown to Expo 2020, which will run from October 2020 to April 2021 in Dubai, keen bidders looking to own the one-of-a-kind registration plates will get the chance to name their price during an auction next weekend.

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The RTA announced the news via its official Twitter handle on Friday.

The transport authority invited residents to register online for its upcoming 102nd auction, which will feature 100 exclusive car registration plates encompassing three to five digits in H to Z codes, including 20 branded with the Expo 2020 logo.

“The auction will include 20 plates coded EXPO offered for the first time in recognition of Expo 2020 Dubai, which opens on October 20 next year,” the tweet read.

Registration for the auction will open on Sunday and interested bidders can apply online via the transport authority’s website or in person at any of the RTA’s Customer Happiness Centres.

The open auction will take place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City on Saturday, September 28. Live bidding will start at 4.30pm and will continue until all plates are sold.

The RTA number plate auctions have proven popular among UAE residents over the years.

Lucrative plates have previously sold for millions of dirhams. One of the most noteworthy to date was in 2016 when businessman Balwinder Sahani bought the D5 plate for Dh33 million at an RTA auction for his Rolls-Royce.

According to RTA auction rules, bidders must each have a Traffic File opened in Dubai, submit a Dh25,000 security deposit cheque, and pay an non-refundable subscription fee of Dh120.

Why the Tourist Club?

Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.

In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.

It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.

Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.

Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.

Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.

TransportUAE