Dubai to tighten licencing measures for delivery bike riders

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Police have jointly announced measures to enhance the safety of delivery bike riders in the emirate.

At a recent meeting to discuss the issue, the two entities looked into the targets of Dubai Traffic Safety Strategy along with RTA’s strategy for handling the demand for transport, according to Dubai Media Office.

With a surge in demand for deliveries since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of accidents involving motorbikes has increased by 25 per cent from 300 in 2020 to 400 in 2021.

The reasons for these accidents have been mainly attributed to the lack of leaving a safe distance when riding, sudden swerving and jumping a red light.

.@rta_dubai, @DubaiPoliceHQ discuss traffic safety of motorbike delivery activityhttps://t.co/LGryiugoW7 pic.twitter.com/UWlFdwtxHr

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 20, 2022

The RTA and Dubai Police therefore discussed the roadmap and outreach campaigns to step up the traffic safety levels and examined the quality of regulations applicable to motorcycles and their riders. Measures taken included the introduction of specifications of protective gear for motorbike riders, which include elbow protectors, helmets and safety shoes which are in line with international standards and specifications. Also, measures were discussed for preparing the training material for these riders in cooperation with training institutes.

A large-scale joint campaign has been launched to educate motorbike riders working for delivery companies about the risks of over speeding and the negative riding practices. The campaigns will focus on ways to curb traffic malpractices among these riders. Measures of licensing for such drivers will also be made more stringent.

The Delivery Service Excellence Award is also being launched to reward the best-performing companies and drivers across two categories. The first category covers the best two companies in delivery service, and the best two companies in delivery service via smart platforms and apps. The second category is dedicated to the best professional drivers where the top 10 drivers will be honoured each year.

“RTA attaches paramount importance to traffic safety and is committed to implementing Dubai Traffic Safety Strategy and its zero-fatality vision such that Dubai will be the best city in the world in traffic safety. We are keen to streamline the business of the delivery sector to ensure its growth in an environment that caters to safety and security concerns. We are also keen on improving the traffic safety level of motorbike riders and road users, and serving the interests of all stakeholders. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a surge of demand for delivery service companies to meet the public needs of goods and products, which dictated the need to regulate the business of this sector to ensure delivering quality services to customers,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general, chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at RTA.