Dubai: Using public transport in Dubai is about to get a whole lot easier.
With a simple swipe of a phone, riders can board whatever service they desire thanks to a new deal inked between Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and telecommunications providers Etisalat and du to launch the ‘Smart Nol’ Service for Dubai commuters using public transport.
The service aims to ease the transportation process for commuters through the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) phones.
Phones using the NFC technology allow users to simply swipe their phone, similar to a credit or debit card, across an NFC reader to pay for commercial services.
Commuters will be able to pay for public transportation services by swiping their phones on gate readers at metro stations, or validator devices on public and water buses. Public Transport users can subscribe to the Smart NOL service through Etisalat and Du outlets, as well as to enquire about which devices and models are compatible with the NFC service.
“We are providing this service for NFC enabled mobile phone user via a special SIM card to use NOL services for public transport and in future for micropayments in UAE. Customers will have a similar experience to the usage of NOL cards, so the process is one that will be familiar to our customers,” said Abdullah Al Madani, CEO of Corporate Technical Support Services Sector at RTA.
