- RTA is a leader in leveraging big data and artificial intelligence
- Big data and AI play a key role in boosting operational efficiency and supporting decision-making
- The strategy will help reduce travel times, enhance productivity, lower costs, and improve customer satisfaction
Dubai — Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has rolled out its Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2030 during Dubai Al Week 2025, which aims to strengthen RTA’s global pioneership in AI-driven mobility by establishing an integrated, interconnected ecosystem that enhances the quality of life in Dubai. The strategy comprises 81 projects and initiatives across six strategic pillars: People happiness, seamless and innovative mobility, intelligent traffic management, cognitive licensing, future-proof organization, and asset excellence.
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, stated: “RTA’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2030 is aligned with the UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, as well as local and federal initiatives, including RTA’s sector-specific plans such as the Digital Strategy 2030. The strategy is designed to enhance human capital in the application and scaling of AI technologies, lead a connected AI ecosystem that promotes resilience and innovation, and firmly position RTA at the forefront of AI-driven transformation across its services, products, and operations.”
He added: “The strategy also establishes a robust corporate governance framework for AI while strengthening RTA’s technical capabilities in AI and data to keep pace with rapid advancements in the field. In today’s digital economy, big data and AI are foundational enablers of digital transformation. They are crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, enabling data-driven decision-making, and driving innovation across all sectors.”
Initiatives and Objectives
Al Tayer further noted: “The strategy encompasses the implementation of 81 projects and initiatives between 2025 and 2030, structured around six key pillars: people happiness, seamless and innovative mobility, intelligent traffic management, cognitive licensing, future-proof organization, and asset excellence. It is designed to yield a range of measurable outcomes, most notably, reducing travel time by 20% to 30% through optimised traffic signal operations and intelligent pedestrian mobility solutions. The strategy also targets a 25% to 40% increase in productivity by equipping employees with AI-driven tools, and aims to reduce costs by 10% to 20% through AI-powered platforms supporting asset management, predictive maintenance, and driver assessment.”
He continued: “The strategy further aims to improve customer happiness by 35% and enhance partner compliance by 30% to 50%. RTA continues to lead in harnessing big data and artificial intelligence. Since the launch of its Big Data Platform in 2017, RTA has maintained its pioneering position in this field, introducing a joint Big Data and AI Roadmap (2021–2025), followed by the launch of a dedicated AI Platform in 2022 to support the efficient and scalable development of AI-driven applications.”
Use Cases
Al Tayer explained: “The Big Data Platform plays a pivotal role in managing and streamlining data exchange across RTA’s corporate systems. Since its inception, the platform has recorded an annual growth rate of 30%, with total data capacity now exceeding 670 terabytes—the equivalent of more than 235 billion pages. It is integrated with 49 corporate systems and supports over 280 data points, enabling connectivity across diverse data sources within RTA’s operations. The platform has facilitated more than 12 AI use cases and significantly enhanced the operational efficiency of our Enterprise Command and Control Centre.”
Since 2017, RTA has implemented over 40 big data and AI use cases, including predictive maintenance for buses, sentiment analysis of passenger feedback, forecasting parking space occupancy, and integrating generative AI into our enterprize chatbot, ‘Mahboub’. We are currently studying the implementation of 45 additional use cases, including optimising water and electricity consumption in the Dubai Metro and enhancing the public bus network using advanced AI technologies,” he stated.
Awards and Achievements
RTA has garnered distinguished recognition in the fields of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, achieving top rankings both locally and regionally. RTA was honoured as one of the pioneering government entity in the Artificial Intelligence and Data Science category of the 2024 Dubai Government Excellence Programme.
Additionally, RTA was named the “Leading Entity in Data” under the Large Entity category of the Data First – City Data Challenge 2019, an initiative launched by Digital Dubai. The UAE Ministry of Artificial Intelligence further recognised RTA’s Big Data and AI Platform as the largest of its kind among local government entities.
RTA also operates the region’s largest enterprise-level chatbot system, according to IBM. The Authority received a Certificate of Appreciation for Innovation in AI-Driven Transport from SAS UAE and was honoured with the Excellence and Innovation Award for its application of Generative AI Technology by Innovation AI.
