Dubai: In a bid to promote car-pooling among residents to and from their workplaces and thus ease traffic congestion, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a new smart app, Sharekni, that allows people to conveniently apply for the relevant permits, search for others commuting along the same route, and also displays drivers and passengers on a map.
The app, which is designed to promote contact between drivers and other residents who may be interested in car-pooling, is currently available in Arabic and English, but will soon be available in Chinese, Tagalog and Urdu as well. The app delivers all of the Sharekni services, which include a search function allowing users to find drivers or passengers in a certain company or emirate. Drivers enlisted in the Sharekni service can only divide fuel costs among their passengers and are not allowed to impose any other charges.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, who launched the new app, said: “Through this service, the RTA is seeking to ease snarls in Dubai, especially during peak times, reduce the number of Single Occupancy Vehicles [SOVs], and slash the overall number of vehicles on streets.”
Al Tayer said encouraging car-pooling will help reduce running costs of vehicles, streamline the use of car parks around workplaces and address the issue of a lack of parking spaces.
“Benefits of the practice also include easing the psychological and physical pressures associated with driving on congested roads; which in turn will contribute to raising productivity,” he said.
He added that the Sharekni app is part of endeavours to realise the initiative of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, “to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world and make people happier”.
Al Tayer said that the car pooling service, which was launched by the RTA in July 2008, had witnessed a steady growth in the number of registered users, growing by as much as 16 per cent in 2014. He expressed hope that the service will become more popular in the near future given the special rewards and incentives offered by the RTA for users.
“Global studies on car-pooling systems indicate that the number of users usually range from 5 to 15 per cent of the total number of road users,” he said, “However, this rate goes to as high as 30 per cent in places where rewards and incentives are in place.”
According to Al Tayer, the service portal, www.sharekni.ae, has been upgraded, and the smart app has been carefully designed to make it friendly to all segments of the community.
The newer version simplifies the registration process, enables communication with customers through text messages and e-mails, and allows all holders of driving licences issued from various emirates of the UAE to sign in, whereas the previous version was restricted to holders of driving licences issued from Dubai only.
The new website enables people to search for vehicles using a number of variables to fine-tune the search and assist people to achieve their targets. The app provides details about the vehicle, a specific route, best-rated driver, and the routes with the highest frequency of trips.
