Source: www.rta.ae
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has upgraded several business process in key areas relating to the public transport in the context of efforts to realize its vision of Safe and Smooth Transport for All.
In this regard it has recently developed a new mechanism for investigating traffic accidents sustained by public buses.
Mohammed Al Ali, Director of Buses, RTA Public Transport Agency, said: “The idea stems from our keenness to enhance the security & safety in this vital transit mode; which is closely related to the life of users, and focuses much attention to all factors triggering bus accidents as well as other related parties. It also addressed the individual differences between bus drivers, and analyzed all data obtained about accidents in order to identify the actual factors and causes of these crashes. This creative mechanism has helped us realize these objectives, and re-train and rehabilitate our bus drivers to the highest standards of efficiency & world-class performance levels.
“The mechanism for investigating bus traffic accidents has resulted in a drop of red-type accidents during the first half of this year to 0.44 accidents per 100 thousand kilometers done; which compares well with the targeted rate of 0.65 accidents per 100 thousand kilometers done, and marks a 70% drop when compared with the rate at the start of implementing the Accidents Investigation Decision-making AID-50 Project, known as AIDA 50 Project, back in 2010 where the bus accidents rate was hovering around 1.47 accidents per 100 thousand kilometers done. By the end of 2012 this rate plummeted to as low as 0.48 accidents per 100 thousand kilometers done. This has greatly diminished the cost of repairing impacted buses and their insurance premiums by 47.7% from about 31 million dirham in 2010 to 18 million dirham in 2013.
Moreover, it has also resulted in boosting the confidence level among public transport users in using public buses without obsessions or concerns about traffic accidents, which has accordingly raised the ridership as well as users satisfaction rating from 77.7% in 2010 to as much as 84.5% in 2012, besides slashing traffic congestion, and curbing pollution emanating from exhausts of private vehicles,” continued Al Ali.
“The revamping of this process echoes RTA’s unlimited attention to realize its ultimate vision of providing safe & smooth transport for all; which can only be achieved through developing new procedures to promote the culture of using public transport; which has become a vital daily requirement for our local community. Accordingly, it was imperative for us to respond to this challenge through figuring out solutions to make mass transit means part & parcel of the priorities of families, individuals and all community segments,” said the Director of Buses, RTA Public Transport Agency in a concluding remark.
