Dubai: Starting July 1, a new parking and billing system will go live at The Dubai Mall, one of the world's biggest shopping destinations with annual visitor numbers of 100 million plus. The parking system will be operated by Salik, the DFM-listed road-toll operator.
"This new system will improve parking availability and streamline the process, ensuring a more convenient and efficient visit for all guests," said a statement from Emaar, the operator of the mall.
Emaar had already put out the rate cards for visitors making use of the parking spaces at the mall. On weekdays, the first four hours will be free of charge, and it extends to first six hours on weekends.
For those staying around at the Mall for longer - of over 8- and 12 hours - need to shell out Dh200 and Dh500, whether it's on a weekday or weekend.
And anyone keeping their car overnight at the mall must shell out Dh1,000.
Once the vehicle exits, the billing will be done seamlessly on the Salik account associated with it.
According to Ahmed Almatrooshi of Emaar, "We are pleased to introduce a seamless parking payment solution at Dubai Mall. This initiative aligns with our commitment to enhancing the guest experience by leveraging innovative technologies, in collaboration with Salik.
"This collaboration highlights our dedication to continually improving our services and setting new benchmarks in retail and leisure."
The introduction of 'paid parking aims to free up spaces', according to Emaar, and 'ensuring guests can find parking more quickly and easily'. "By investing in a more structured system, the mall can better cater to visitor needs, reaffirming its commitment to world-class services," the Dubai developer added.
Select parking areas
The new Salik paid parking system at Dubai Mall applies to these areas - the 'Grand Parking', Cinema Parking, and Fashion Parking. The Zabeel and Fountain Views parking locations 'will remain complimentary'.
This is an important step in our strategic evolution to become a global leader in sustainable and smart mobility solutions and in line with our ambition to deliver innovative solutions that eliminate the need for gates or barriers
As for Salik, this takes the Dubai company into new revenue creating possibilities. The RTA entity operates 8 toll-gates in Dubai and which will be expanded to 10 before this year is over. Launching its tech-enabled paid parking solutions to malls and other locations would be a significant expansion.
"This is just the beginning for us, and we are truly excited to have Emaar as our first partner," said Ibrahim Sultan Al Haddad, Salik's CEO.
