Dubai: Soon, travel on Metro without Nol cards; transfer car ownership via app; find parking faster

You could soon be using public transport in Dubai without tickets, Nol or credit cards. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has unveiled a smart gate that allows commuters to pay fares for Dubai Metro, tram, buses, taxis and marine transport by simply passing through them.

The smart gate uses facial recognition to let commuters have a seamless journey. Users are first required to register, after which the system will recognise them by analysing their faces with a 3D camera. The bio-data is then verified, and the fare is deducted from their accounts.

This is among the several smart projects the RTA will showcase at Gitex Global, the world's largest technology and startup exhibition, which kicks off Monday at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

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Car ownership transfer via app

The RTA will introduce a service for transferring ownership of vehicle number plates via its Dubai Drive app. The app allows customers to complete the sale procedures using the digital ID ‘UAE PASS’, which will help them complete the transaction without visiting an RTA service centre. The sale contract is signed digitally.

Finding vacant parking the smart way

The RTA will use artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to predict parking occupancy. This will be based on transactions and parking inspection data.

The AI model analyses and processes around 2.5 million parking reservation transactions and 600,000 inspections. It will then predict parking occupancy for every hour for two weeks in advance. The initiative enables motorists to plan trips by giving them the expected occupancy rates of parking lots through RTA apps.

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