Take a ride and get green points

Dubai: Regular public transport commuters are in for big rewards, as every kilometre travelled on buses, the Metro and tram will translate into a green point, in a new scheme by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

The initiative that will go live from next month is aimed at encouraging greater use of public transport among all sections of society.

The green point scheme will also cover users of RTA’s mobile applications as well as customers using RTA services through the internet and call centre.

As a pilot, the service is currently live with the RTA’s Drivers and Vehicles mobile app, which is available across all mobile platforms.

“When a person completes or conducts any transaction without going to the RTA’s customer service centre, by using various channels like mobile, call centre etc. the person will get points on his account, which will translate into gifts. For now we are starting only with the users of the Drivers and Vehicles app that we launched two months ago,” said Ahmad Hashem Behroozian, CEO of RTA’s Licensing Agency.

The Drivers and Vehicles app offers services such as payment of fines, renewal of driver’s licence, renewal of vehicle registration, replacing lost or damaged licence of registration card, etc.

“Our idea is to discourage our customers from visiting our customer care centres for every small transaction. We have a lot of services that are available online, through call centres or through mobile apps. This will save petrol as well as time and energy, that is why we call it the green points scheme,” added Behroozian.

From next month, use of services offered by all RTA apps and RTA services online will be part of the scheme. Public transport users will also be able to accumulate points through their daily commute.

“The green score allows you to earn points every time you ride Dubai’s public transport or perform a digital transaction with RTA’s Licensing Agency. For every transaction with RTA a customer will earn 36 points and every kilometre travelled on public transport will translate into one point. Top point earners will then be rewarded annually,” he explained.

To avail the Green Points, users must register their Nol ID or start using RTA’s digital channels for transactions.

The Drivers and Vehicles app shows a breakdown of how you earned a number of points and what is its environmental impact.

RTA has also introduced another unique feature for interactions with customers in mChat. Any mobile user seeking any clarification on the features and services of the Drivers and Vehicles app will be able to have a live chat with RTA agents through mChat. The service is currently available only between 8am to 2pm.

“Right now the mChat service is available only on Drivers and Vehicles app but soon we will cover other apps services depending on the response we receive. Any user who has any questions regarding the app and its services can contact RTA representatives through live chat and they will be assisted,” said Behroozian.

The app also allows users to share their experience about their online transactions through social media, without leaving the interface.