Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority Deploys Advanced Artificial Intelligence Across Mobility Ecosystem

The RTA's reimagined AI strategy signals a transformative shift from supporting operations to intelligent systems that predict outcomes, anticipate needs and deliver seamless end-to-end services across transport networks.

The machinery of modern mobility requires not merely efficiency but prescience. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has unveiled an evolved artificial intelligence strategy that moves beyond automating routine tasks to creating intelligent systems capable of understanding patterns, foreseeing challenges and reshaping how the city’s transport networks operate and serve their users.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, has launched the strategy to establish an integrated ecosystem harnessing advanced technologies across 41 business areas. The initiative represents a fundamental recalibration of how government agencies deploy artificial intelligence: not as a tool for marginal improvement but as the foundation for reimagined public services.

The strategy’s ambition is substantial. Over two and a half years, it aims to generate more than AED300 million in annual added value whilst transitioning fifty percent of operations and services to an Agentic AI ecosystem. The initial implementation waves focus on eleven business areas, with forty AI products in development, of which eleven have already been completed alongside four foundational projects.

Consider the transformation of Mahboub, the RTA’s customer-facing chatbot. Rather than remaining a system that answers enquiries, it is being upgraded into an intelligent agent capable of completing transactions independently. Customers can now execute five vehicle licensing services entirely through the platform and access approximately one hundred information services. Integration with UAE PASS and Dubai Pay means vehicle-related transactions take less than five minutes. By the end of 2026, the RTA aims to deliver ten percent of services through this platform, rising to fifty percent by 2027.

The strategic framework encompasses initiatives that illustrate how artificial intelligence reshapes work at every level. The Agentic AI-powered electronic No Objection Certificate system, handling approximately 130,000 certificates annually with demand growing by around eleven percent, accelerates review procedures threefold whilst saving more than 700,000 days of manual processing annually. In regulatory oversight, the Agentic AI Auditor uses machine learning to examine licensing documents at scale, expanding coverage from sample-based auditing to one hundred percent of documents within its scope and saving more than 25,000 hours of manual work annually.

The strategy reflects Abu Dhabi’s broader commitment to technology as a catalyst for governance. As energy leaders recently gathered in Abu Dhabi to explore how investment in AI and infrastructure can strengthen critical systems, the RTA’s approach demonstrates how the emirates are embedding artificial intelligence into the operational fabric of essential services.

Performance metrics anchor the strategy’s implementation. The RTA targets reducing traffic congestion by three to five percent, cutting complaint processing times by twenty to thirty percent, and reducing waiting times at Customer Happiness Centres by fourteen to sixteen percent. In public transport, the Agentic AI-powered Network Planner deploys approximately twenty AI agents to assess Dubai’s bus network, accelerating analysis fivefold and improving on-time performance by up to ten percent.

Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA’s Corporate Technology Support Services Sector, noted that expanding the use of Microsoft Copilot among RTA employees has delivered a ten percent saving in working time, with active usage exceeding ninety percent among users. The authority has submitted thirty-four works for intellectual property registration and won the AI World Series 2026 Award, signalling recognition of its technical achievements.

The strategy emphasises developing workforce capabilities and fostering a culture of continuous learning. This dimension reflects understanding that technology deployment succeeds only when organisations invest in the people who guide its application. Strategic partnerships with global technology leaders including Huawei, Boston Consulting Group and Microsoft provide specialist expertise and access to advanced platforms.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

Dubai’s transformation of its transport authority through artificial intelligence carries implications extending across the UAE’s governance landscape. The RTA’s strategy demonstrates how intelligent systems can simultaneously improve operational efficiency, enhance service quality and create new capacity within existing institutions. The agentic AI approach enables government to scale services without proportional increases in workforce, freeing resources for strategic priorities.

The initiative also positions Dubai at the forefront of artificial intelligence adoption in public administration. As governments globally grapple with deploying AI responsibly and effectively, the RTA’s detailed implementation across eleven business areas, with measurable performance targets and ongoing capability development, establishes a model of structured transformation that balances innovation with accountability. This positions the emirate to lead regional discussions about how advanced technologies can enhance quality of life whilst building public trust in AI-enabled governance.

Source: WAM

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