Government

During a visit paid by its affiliated Customers Council to the Dubai Club for the Disabled, the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has revised its facilities to the disabled group. The visit was part of the plan pursued by the Council to recognize the service needs of several community segments, particularly the disabled, heed to their views & proposals and everything relating to the upgrading or enhancement of significant services.

Attending the meeting from the RTA were Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Member of the Board of Executive Directors cum Chairperson of the Customers Council, Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Agency, and Dr. Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation in addition to Directors and managers at several agencies & sectors of RTA. Attendees from the Club were Ahmed Hasan Nasir, Board Member, Majid Al Osaimi, Executive Director and several disabled people and associates of the Club.

Al Mulla, who chaired the 63rd session of the Council, conveyed his delight with the visit of RTAs Customers Council to the Dubai Club for the Disabled under the theme: Unlimited Facilities to the Disabled. The move stems from RTAs efforts to meet the requirements of the disabled and assimilate them in the community through facilities and benefits making their daily mobility easier such that they can contribute to the growth and productivity drive in the Emirate. Such communication would ease and boost the My Community A Place for All launched by the Dubai Government in 2013 with the goal of transforming Dubai completely into a friendly city for the disabled by 2020. RTA has provided excellence services befitting the place of the disabled in our hearts, considering them an integral part of the community and a core strategy of RTAs businesses.

At the start of the meeting, a video demonstration was made highlighting the events and organizational chart of the Club. Another visual presentation was made displaying the amenities provided by RTA to the disabled in terms of design of buildings, and facilities & services to meet the needs of this category at outstanding standards. This comprises the deployment of transit means tailor-made for the use of the disabled in 47 metro stations, 11 trams, 1517 buses, 12 marine transit means, 11 taxicabs, and 10 vehicles in support of Awnak service for the disabled and chronically sick individuals.

The presentation screened communication means configured for the use of the disabled enabling them to avail RTAs services such as booking taxis, and availing online services. It also reviewed RTAs efforts in training 84 front-end employees on how to deal with the disabled, 12 employees specialized in sign language, exemption from registration & renewal fees of one vehicle, 50% discount on driver licensing services, issuing free parking permits for 1826 parking slots, exemption from parking fees, exemption from Salik toll for one vehicle, and public transport as well.

During the meeting, the disabled made a number of recommendations followed by voicing RTAs objective to consider increasing the number of taxis designated for the use of the disabled, smart apps for all RTAs services, and modifying the design of taxicabs such that the disabled can embark and disembark from the side rather than the back of the vehicle. Suggestions to be considered also included that all disabled parking at public and private entities as well as hotels, cooperative societies, malls, markets, and private areas to be subjected to the control, monitoring and planning of RTA and the Dubai Police.
At the end of the meeting, executives & members of the Dubai Club for the Disabled conveyed their pleasure and satisfaction over the visit of RTA Customers Council, and the response of members with the suggestions made, and the thorough response made to all their queries. Then, the two parties exchanged trophies and mementos.

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