Dubai encourages delivery companies to use electric bikes
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority plans to encourage delivery companies to switch to electric bikes.
This initiative – which aims to reduce carbon emissions in the emirate – includes plans to establish charging stations across Dubai.
The authority said it would seek to amend licensing and registration requirements to persuade delivery companies to adopt greener transport.
It has also begun to develop a suitable model of electric bike designed with delivery drivers in mind.
Muhannad Al Muhairi, director of the authority’s commercial transport activities department, said the initiative was in line with the Year of Sustainability and the Dubai Vision 2030 strategy of reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent.
It also aims to reduce accidents, lower costs by lessening reliance on fossil fuels and discourage negative driving behaviour, Mr Al Muhairi said.
This comes after Careem, which operates a ride-hailing app and food delivery service, announced this month it would introduce electric delivery bikes in Dubai.
The company did not say how many electric bikes would be introduced in the first phase.
A senior figure at Careem said the goal was to have 1,000 electric bikes on Dubai’s roads by the end of next year.
“It’s very important to us to improve our region and one way of doing this is to support the net-zero objectives of the UAE,” Sami Amin, senior director of operations for Careem Bike, told The National.
In May, the authority announced an initiative to achieve net-zero emission public transport by 2050.
Over the coming years, the authority plans to decarbonise all taxis, limousines and public buses, design its buildings with near-zero energy consumption, source energy from renewables and eliminate municipal waste.
The plan would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes and save Dh3.3 billion ($898 million).