Dubai tops regional index on urban mobility readiness

Dubai was ranked the number one city in the Middle East and Africa in terms of urban mobility readiness according to a global annual study.

The index of 60 cities by the Oliver Wyman Forum and the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) is a forward-looking ranking of 57 quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure social impact, infrastructure, market attractiveness, system efficiency, and innovation.

The findings show that efficient and equitable mobility networks are key engines of economic vitality and environmental sustainability. Other measures in the overall Index include electric vehicle (EV) charging station network investment and incentives, the number of car-free zones, autonomous vehicle adoption, and public transport ridership and affordability.

Globally, Dubai sits at 30th, moving up from number 32 in 2021. Each city is given a rating out of 100 based on a range of KPIs. At a ranking of 58 per cent, Dubai surpasses the global average of 54 per cent, while the Middle East average is 47 per cent.

The report noted that preference for cars across the Middle East contributes to the region’s low score for utilisation of non-motorised transit, however, generally high penetration of shared mobility services, such as car-sharing, helps to lower congestion levels. Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi were jointly ranked 6th globally for shared mobility penetration.

The report also highlights that Dubai is institutionally friendly to new paradigms in mobility and is a key aviation hub and also has invested in scooter-sharing pilots. It also points out that the city is developing a leading public transport package, with a mature multimodal app – the system includes the city-wide metro, which is one of the largest automated metro systems in the world. However, geographical spread and summer temperatures remain a challenge across the region.

Although the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi dropped one place from 36th place in 2021 to 37th in 2022, the city was ranked number one globally for traffic fluidity (in terms of how well the municipal government’s mobility network enables this) and the second position for public transport affordability. The report also noted that the city has strong initiatives around managing driving speeds to reduce traffic accidents, and is working to make public transport a more attractive option, while also announcing EV infrastructure policies that highlight investment in the technology.

André Martins, partner and India, Middle East and Africa head of transport services and operations said that exploring fresh ideas and piloting new technologies is in the DNA of Dubai, and of the UAE overall. “The Emirates will likely be used in the future as a case study in how to pilot new solutions – from the testing of autonomous corridors to the smart monitoring of traffic and driving behaviour,”

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