Dubai To Cut Traffic Congestion By 5%, Accidents Among New Drivers By 20% Using AI

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has set a series of targets under its updated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, including reducing traffic congestion by 3 per cent to 5 per cent, cutting case and complaint processing times by 20 per cent to 30 per cent, and reducing waiting times at Customer Happiness Centres by 14 per cent to 16 per cent.

The authority also aims to shorten service delivery times at these centres by 15 per cent to 20 per cent, reduce accidents involving newly licensed drivers by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, and cut procurement cycles by 10 per cent to 15 per cent. Savings of 10 per cent to 15 per cent in operational and engineering working hours are also among the targets.

The strategy, launched by Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, is designed to expand the use of AI across Dubai's transport network and government services, with a focus on making everyday processes faster, more efficient and convenient for residents.

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Spanning 41 areas across RTA's agencies, sectors and departments, the strategy's first two implementation waves cover 11 business areas. These include vehicle licensing, traffic, roads, public transport, customer happiness, procurement and human resources.

Over two-and-a-half years, RTA plans to develop 40 AI products, 11 of which have already been completed, alongside four foundational projects. It expects the strategy to generate more than Dh300 million in annual added value and transition 50 per cent of its operations and services to an Agentic AI ecosystem.

Al Tayer said the updated strategy would take RTA's digital transformation beyond AI applications that support employees and operations towards systems capable of analysing information, predicting outcomes and delivering services.

He said the initiative aligns with Dubai's wider ambition to accelerate AI adoption across government and strengthen its position as a global centre for smart solutions.

“The strategy marks an advanced stage in RTA's digital transformation journey, paving the way for a fundamental shift from AI applications that support operations to intelligent systems capable of analysing data, predicting outcomes, supporting decision-making and delivering end-to-end services.”

The focus, he added, is also on using technology to make mobility easier for people living in and visiting the emirate.

“Through this strategy, we aim to expand the use of future technologies in planning, operating and managing road and public transport networks, while developing proactive, personalised services that meet customer needs, save time and effort, and make mobility easier.”

Al Tayer said investment in AI was also an investment in Dubai's future competitiveness, with RTA working to bring together technology, data, skilled employees and strategic partnerships to improve productivity and make better use of resources.

Several initiatives under the strategy are designed to change how residents access transport-related services, including an upgraded version of Mahboub, RTA's smart chatbot.

Using Agentic AI, Mahboub is being transformed from a platform that responds to customer enquiries into a system capable of completing transactions through RTA's app, website and WhatsApp.

Customers can already use the upgraded platform to complete five vehicle licensing services and access around 100 information services. Integration with UAE PASS and Dubai Pay allows vehicle-related transactions to be completed in less than five minutes.

RTA aims to double the speed of service delivery through the platform and increase the proportion of services delivered through it to 10% by the end of 2026 and 50% by the end of 2027.

Another initiative targets the processing of electronic No Objection Certificates (eNOCs), which are required for works and projects near RTA assets.

The AI-powered system will guide applicants through the process, conduct preliminary checks of submitted documents and provide engineering insights to support the review and approval of applications.

With approximately 130,000 certificates issued annually and demand increasing by around 11 per cent, RTA aims to make the process three times faster, save more than 700,000 days annually and improve customer satisfaction by over 5 per cent. The initiative is also expected to increase revenues by 5 per cent to 10 per cent.

AI is also being introduced into the auditing of vehicle licensing documents. The Agentic AI Auditor uses machine learning and optical character recognition to identify irregularities, recommend corrective action and maintain records of audit operations.

Covering seven priority services, the system aims to make auditing up to 21 times faster, expand checks to cover 100 per cent of documents within its scope and save more than 25,000 hours of manual work annually.

For businesses working with RTA, the Outsourcing Contracts Accountant will use AI to review outsourcing contracts before payments are approved. It will analyse attendance records and work outputs, check compliance with contractual terms and streamline invoice reviews.

Public transport is another major focus, with RTA developing an Agentic AI-powered Bus Network Planner that deploys approximately 20 AI agents to help planners assess and improve Dubai's bus network.

The system analyses performance indicators, identifies gaps in services, simulates operational alternatives and recommends suitable options for network development.

RTA aims to accelerate analysis and assessment fivefold and reduce the time needed to implement bus service changes from approximately 60 days to 48 days.

The initiative is also expected to improve on-time performance by up to 10 per cent and increase the cost recovery ratio by 3 per cent to 7 per cent, with the broader objective of improving the passenger experience and making buses a more attractive transport option.

Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA's Corporate Technology Support Services Sector, said the authority had identified more than 180 use cases and quick-win initiatives across 11 business areas, involving 12 implementing departments.

Of the 40 AI products identified, 11 have already been launched: five in Planning and Business Development, five in Vehicle Licensing and one in Right-of-Way.

Bahrozyan said the authority was also expanding the use of Microsoft Copilot among employees, with active usage exceeding 90% among its users.

“AI adoption has also supported employees in performing their tasks more efficiently, accelerating task completion and boosting corporate productivity.”

He said the use of the tool had delivered a 10 per cent saving in working time.

RTA has also submitted 34 works for intellectual property registration, secured approval for its Rail AI Chatbot work and won the AI World Series 2026 Award.

It has developed eight strategic initiatives in collaboration with international technology partners, including Huawei, Boston Consulting Group and Microsoft.

Bahrozyan said the strategy would also focus on strengthening employees' ability to use AI across different business functions through specialised training, intelligent tools and a culture of continuous learning.

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