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Ahmed bin Mohammed opens the 4th MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Media Council, today opened the fourth MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition. The congress is organised by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in collaboration with the Belgium-based International Association of Public Transport (UITP). The three-day event brings together heads of government departments, 1,000 participants and 73 speakers from 19 countries. Some 40 organisations from 17 countries are taking part in the accompanying exhibition.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed was received at the Dubai World Trade Centre, where the event was held, by His Excellency Mattar Mohammed Al Thayer, Director General and Chairman of the Roads and Transport Authority Executive Board, and His Excellency Khalid Al Hogail, President of UITP, who introduced His Highness to public transport projects in the region, including the Dubai Metro route 2020, Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040, operations and maintenance outsourcing.

Vibe Wakker, a Sustainable Adventurer, gave a speech in which he spoke about his experience of travelling by electric car to Australia and the challenges he encountered during the trip. He also spoke about his experience of living in the UAE for three months and the key lessons learnt, as well as his journey from the UAE to Sydney, Australia. He praised the UAE’s infrastructure development, the quality of roads and transport infrastructure, as well as the seamless travel between cities in the country.

The congress comprises 13 sessions, five of which are keynote sessions. Topics to be discussed in the main sessions include post-Covid-19 mobility, the role of MENA mobility leaders in shaping the future of mobility in the region, smart mobility management, cities of the future and the role of women leaders in public transport. Other sessions will discuss intelligent transport services, eco-friendly electric buses, artificial intelligence and big data, first and last mile travel, post-pandemic sustainability, post-pandemic public transport services and technological factors.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum awarded the winners of the 4th Transport Hackathon for university and college students. The winners of the hackathon included:

1st place winner: the Scooty App. An app designed to make mobility on electric scooters safer, faster and more environmentally friendly. It features ScootAssist to monitor scooter speed and driver behaviour. There is a virtual safe route map for scooters on the metaverse.

2nd place winner: Salem App. An app to monitor the health and safety of delivery staff using phone sensors, GPS, artificial intelligence and machine learning to ensure safe driver behaviour.

3rd Prize Winner: Steady App. An app for ensuring the smooth movement of determined people on public transport. Its sensors detect their location and automatically send text messages to public transport station staff to keep them informed and ensure they can move safely within the station and on public transport.

His Highness also awarded the strategic sponsors of the congress: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s General Transport Authority, Keolis Group (operator of Dubai Metro and Trams) and FAMCO (a subsidiary of Al-Futtaim Group). He also thanked gold sponsors Etihad Rail and Alstom. In addition, His Highness congratulated the following major sponsors: French RATP Dev, China National Construction Corporation, Hyundai Juma Al Majid, Turkish Gunal Construction, Visa and Waagner biro.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed, accompanied by His Excellency Mattar Mohammed Al Thayer, then opened the accompanying exhibition. Forty organisations from 17 countries are taking part in the event, showcasing the latest solutions in the industry.

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