RTA launches cycle hiring stations in Dubai
Several areas in the city will be covered by the service
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed a contract with Careem which will operate 3,500 bicycles across 350 smart docking stations in Dubai. The service marks the first bicyclepool phased programme of its kind in the region.
Mattar Al Tayer, DirectorGeneral and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, and Mudassir Shaikha, Co-Founder and CEO of Careem, signed the agreement. Accordingly, Careem will operate 1,750 bikes and install 175 stations during the first two years of the contract, which runs for 15 years. In the following five years, the operation will grow to 3,500 bikes and 350 docking stations.
“This agreement is made in implementation of the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, to provide suitable options to encourage residents, tourists and cycling amateurs to practice cycling,” said Al Tayer.
Final destinations
“It helps people to pursue an active lifestyle and enhance mobility options. It also contributes to RTA’s efforts to enhance the integration of different transit modes and provide solutions for the First and Last-Mile challenge enabling public transport riders to reach their final destinations.
“Over the past years, RTA had constructed cycling tracks extending 274 km in several places like Saih Assalam, Bab Ashams, Al Qudra, Mushrif, Mirdif, Al Khawaneej and Dubai Water Canal as well as several streets such as Jumeirah, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Al Mankhool Streets. The total length of cycling tracks in Dubai is expected to reach 631.70km by 2023,” he added.
Al Tayer hailed the cooperation with Careem in delivering services that make Dubai a pioneer bike-sharing destination offering an important mobility pattern for residents and tourists.
‘The first and last mile’
“Careem’s new partnership with RTA will be a great and exciting addition to the local transit network with the launch of Careem Bike service,” said Mudassir Shaikha.
“Careem Bike offers mobility means to riders of buses, Metro and tram in Dubai covering the first and last mile. Moreover, biking is a healthy practice that eases the congestion in the city and promotes healthy lifestyles.”