The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has won three prestigious awards of The Green Organisation in sustainability and green economy during an event held in RTA Head Office as it is the recipient of the most coveted awards. The event hosted representatives of winning organisations descending on Dubai from all corners of the globe. The Green Organisation is an independent non-profit seeking organisation dedicated to awarding the best corporate practices in the field of sustainability, environment and power saving.
HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, expressed his pride of the RTA winning three awards when accepting the trophy from, Nasser Abu Shehab CEO of Strategy and Corporate Governance cum Head of Energy and Green Economy Committee, RTA.
“Obtaining The Green Organisation Awards for the second time reflects RTA’s standing commitment to implement the highest standards of sustainability and green economy based on Dubai and UAE Plans in this regard. It is also a result of consultations and the exchange of information in public transport and project management among other vital fields. RTA’s practices are a manifestation of the initiative of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in 2012 under the theme: Green Economy for Sustainable Development. The initiative has six drivers namely: green energy, government policies, green city, coping with climate change, green life, technology and green technology,” said Al Tayer.
Nasser Abu Shehab, said, “Winning three awards in sustainability and green economy in the categories of sustainability, national initiatives, and environmental improvement is a source of pride. The is by an organisation of international repute and credibility witnessing the participation of 32 public and private entities from all over the world. It reflects RTA’s global presence in the fields of sustainability, the management of environment and energy in line with the directives of the UAE and Dubai government as well as the best international practices.
“Since inception, the RTA has been making continuous efforts to conserve energy and natural resources. The RTA has taken the lead in implementing the energy management system in all its projects and operations. Such efforts culminated in winning the ISO 50001 Energy management 2013, rendering it the first government entity in the world to attain this certification in the region.”
"The RTA has prepared an integrated structure for the green economy to become the first government entity in the region to complete such a project, which reflects RTA’s strategic drive to consolidate this global concept. The RTA has also established a Green Economy and Energy Strategy in line with local, federal, and global strategies. It has also established the Green Economy Section under the supervision of Safety, Risk, Regulation and Planning Department,” continued Bu Shehab.
“Over the past few years, the RTA has completed more than 72 projects and initiatives in a bid to enhance transport sustainability in Dubai. It has also leveraged the energy efficiency and made efforts to conserve the environment in all activities and operations using state-of-the-art technology. Examples of this include the prototype of Hyperloop Pods exhibited for the first time worldwide, and the trial run of the Air Taxi as the first Air Autonomous Vehicle; and the world’s first self-driving transport pods. It has also rolled out Route 2020 Project, launched the procurement of 200 electric vehicles as part of Dubai Taxi Corp limousines project, and embarked on the trial run of the first vehicle powered by hydrogen cells. It has adopted a plan to convert 50% of Dubai Taxi fleet vehicles into hybrid vehicles by 2020 and charted a plan for smart street lighting in Dubai. RTA’s green projects also include the electric and solar-powered abras, electric bus and CNG-operated buses,” he concluded.