Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) khaleej times
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DTC: Enriching the public transport sector Dubai Taxi Corporation marks its silver jubilee, serving one billion passengers to date
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ubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed that the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has completed 682 million journeys and transported more than one billion people, since starting operations in 1995. Now, DTC is looking forward to marking more milestones, as it completes 25 years of service in 2020. The taxi fleet grew from 81 to 5,201 vehicles, while the number
of drivers increased from 886 to 11,500 in the last 25 years, according to Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Dubai-based RTA. The total number of staff employed has also increased from 23 to 113,113, and new services are coming into effect in the emirate. In addition, the DTC has begun implementing artificial intelligence (AI) technology to strike a balance between supply and demand for the taxi service, analyse trip details, and direct the fleet to various hotspots. It also uses AI to improve safe driving practices by monitoring the conduct of drivers and verifying their compliance with safe driving standards.
The DTC smart app has successfully reduced the average dispatch time for taxis to 6.5 minutes, and offers several services, such as DTC My Driver, In Safe Hands, Amira and People of Determination taxis. Since the induction of Toyota hybrid vehicles into the Dubai Taxi fleet, fuel consumption and carbon emissions have reduced by
as much as 47%. The procurement of these vehicles is in line with the RTA’s Green Mobility Strategy. This move also fosters the emirate’s aim to slash carbon emissions by 16% in 2021, and RTA’s intent to convert 50% of Dubai Taxi fleet into hybrid vehicles by 2021. DTC’s Smart Transformation Plan (2018-2020) based on three pillars: Clients, Drivers and Employees. For clients, DTC has accomplished 20 projects out of 36 projects designed to improve the services to customers and make them happier. For instance, school buses were fitted with devices for tracking and monitoring buses and students for added security and safety. For drivers, DTC has automated
Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc)
The smart way to fuel business Zaid Alqufaidi, Managing Director of Enoc Retail, highlights the brand’s innovative solutions Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) is constantly striving to improve its customer service and user experience. While it operates across the energy value chain, the most recognisable facet of its activities was through an extensive 137-strong service station network, where Enoc interacts with over 130 million customers on a yearly basis. Due to this large volume of customers, user experience across each and every service station is a critical aspect of our business. This focus led the brand to create and implement the Vehicle Identification Pass (ViP) service for corporate customers. ViP is essentially a tag located on the fuel inlet that uses radio frequencies to transfer data from each registered vehicle. The tag tracks what fuel the vehicle needs, how much fuel is required
to fill the tank and directly charges the customer’s account once the vehicle is fuelled. An innovative solution to the service station business, ViP is an entirely cash-less and cardless process. For corporate customers, ViP enhances the efficiency of large fleet owners in managing their fuel-related book-keeping operations. With payments linked customer’s accounts, this service also allows for account updates regarding fuel costs in real time through a dedicated portal. The benefits for corporate consumers are numerous; business owners
can track their operating costs with a low margin of error at the touch of a button. Moreover, Enoc’s annual surveys prove that even truck drivers appreciate this service as it eliminates the need to carry cash or card for refuelling transactions. The ViP service is a real-life proof of successful smart services, provided that they are strategised, organised and implemented properly. When Enoc first introduced this service in early 2014, the initiative had over 30 companies registering a total of over 1,100 vehicles within the first week of its launch. Since then, it has over 200,000 vehicles registered under corporate accounts. The oldest account Enoc has is Dubai Taxi where it fuels over 6,000 vehicles and have proudly fuelled over 682 million journeys. In fact, the service was so successful that Enoc decided to launch it for its retail consumers in April 2016, proving that easy payment solutions also have applications across a variety of business-to-consumer interactions. In this fast-paced environment, every business — whether it deals with other businesses or consumers — needs to innovate to survive.
38 out of 61 services. It had launched the drivers’ stress measurement system that sends automated alerts and cautionary signals to the control centre to assure the safety of drivers and riders. For employees, DTC has accomplished 20 automated proj-
ects out of 58 projects, including the taxi smart technical testing system, which reduced the time taken in testing taxis from 40 minutes to just four minutes. The system also cut short the number of required testing supervisors from five to one.