RTA - Roads and Transport Authority

The Roads and Transport Authority of the UAE was founded in the year 2005. It has been entrusted with multiple responsibilities regarding the administration of the transport system in the Emirate of Dubai as well as between Dubai and other Emirates of the UAE. The Roads and Transport Authority office is located at Dubai Municipality, Al Manara Centre, Shaikh Zayed Road, Al Safa 2, Dubai. The RTA has been responsible for several projects that have furthered the development of transport services in the UAE. These projects include the Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram and Dubai Water Canal. The government of Dubai considers the development of infrastructure and transportation to be a key part of its agenda for economic transformation and sustained growth.

Road And Transport Authorities UAE

RTA aka the Roads and Transport Authority is the organisation working in two emirates majorly – Dubai and Sharjah. The transport authorities of the rest of the emirates are registered and known by different names. For example, the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi. The roles for all the different transport authorities remains to be the same though. Given below are the contact details for Roads and Transport Authorities for each emirate:

Roads and Transport Authority	Contact Details
RTA Dubai	Contact: 8009090 Located: Multiple offices, license centre, ticket and Salik stations, and top-up machines across the emirate
RTA Sharjah	Contact: 06 503 3333 Located: Multiple offices and happiness centres across the emirate
Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi or Integrated Transport Center Abu Dhabi	Contact: 800 88888, 800850 Located: ITC Main Branch, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi Transport Management Center
Ajman Transport Authority	Contact: 600599997 Located: Al Jerf 2 - Ajman
RAK Transport Authority	Contact: 800 1700 Located: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Salim Street - Ras al Khaimah
Fujairah Transport Corporation	Contact Number: 09 224 4411 Located: Fujairah Trade Center, Hamad Bin Abdulla Rd
Umm Al-Quwain Municipality – Transport and Public Services	Contact: 06 765 3330 Located: Umm Al Quawain - United Arab Emirates

Key Functions of the Roads and Transport Authority UAE

The functions of the Transport Authority of the UAE can differ as per the emirate you are in as well as the authority you are dealing with. Given below is a consolidated list of the top services and accounts that transport authorities of the UAE handle:

• Maintaining road safety in the UAE
• Organising and ensuring regulations for public transport
• Handling registration and re-registration of private and commercial vehicles and other services related to vehicle registration 
• Allotting driving licenses and international driving permits
• Conduction driving tests 
• Oversea intercity and inter-emirate transportation
• Regulate marine transportation
• Handle the parking activities and assign spaces 
• Manage the metro and Tram system
• Ensure road beautification and infrastructural development 
• Handling Salik accounts and services related to it

Registering and Re-registering Your Vehicles with RTA 

New vehicles, whether personal or commercial are registered with the Roads and Transport Authority by the dealers before you take them home after the purchases. However, you can register your vehicle yourself as well. The registration process is quite simple and the same steps can be traced backed to re-register the vehicle when the expiration date of the registration arrives every 13 months. Given below are the steps of registration and re-registration of the vehicles with RTA:

• Go to an authorised Roads and Transport Authority registration centre in your emirate. 
• Bring all the required documents with you including the driving license, passport, Emirates ID, traffic file, inspection and test certificates, possession certificate, etc. 
• Submit a registration request at the helpdesk and send in the required documents. 
• Your request will be processed right away and you will receive your brand-new registration documents and the card on the spot. 
• Emirates like Dubai also have self-service machines installed which can be used to register your vehicles without having to visit a centre. 

To re-register your vehicle, you can take advantage of the online service portals of the various Roads and Transport Authorities of the UAE. Simply find the renewal of vehicle registration portal, add a request, fill out the necessary details, pay the fee and renew the registration in seconds. A soft copy of the new registration will get you right away via email while the physical copies can be mailed to your address. 

Checking Vehicle Registration via the RTA

Every detail about your registered vehicle in the UAE can be found with the Roads and Transport Authorities of the emirates. You simply need a few details to kick start the process of checking vehicle registration details or other things like the status of your vehicle insurance plan. Simply find the ‘check vehicle expiry’ portal in the ‘services for drivers and car owners’ section. Enter your license plate number and hit the search button. Every available detail about your vehicle will appear on the next screen including the registration details. 

Getting License Plate Number from the RTA

Roads and Transport Authorities in the UAE are also responsible to register and allot license plates in the emirates. The initial registration is generally done by the dealership as it is with the vehicle registration. However, if you are eyeing a specific number or a luxury possession, you can score your precious license plate number by RTA allotment or auctions. The specialised plates can be registered with the RTA once you win them. The registration of a special, luxury number is valid only for a few years. After that, you have to renew the registration via the road and transport authority. 

Steps to Register License Plate for Second-Hand Cars

• You can register for a new license plate when you visit the RTA for changing the ownership of the vehicle. 
• Take all the required documents and head to any of the authorised centres from the RTA of the UAE. Make sure both buyer and seller are present.
• Submit the registration form and the documents required at the concerned counter.
• Also, submit the old license plate of the car. You will get a new one in return with the registration documents. 
• Collect the registration card and the new license plate for your car the same day.  

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Replacing the License Plate

You can replace your license plate if you had it damaged, lost it, or simply because you want to. A small fee is applicable as per the type of license plate you choose and the emirate you are in. Following are the steps:

• Take your old license plate with you, if you have it, to the RTA
• Submit the old plate and fill out an application to replace it. 
• Pay the application fee as per the plate you have selected. 
• Pick up your new plate. 
• Authorities like RTA Dubai also allow you to replace your old license plates online. 

RTA and UAE Public Transport

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority oversees all the surface level public transportation used by the UAE residents, including the metro system, tram system, buses, marine transportation like ferries and other private motor vehicles. It is estimated that roughly a million passengers are travelling every day, which can be estimated to be nearly half of the total population residing in Dubai. RTA also manages the taxi system of Dubai in collaboration with private partners. People can order a taxi using the available applications or hire them directly from public spaces.

New projects from the RTA

The Roads and Transport Authority has announced several projects in line with the hosting of the World Expo 2020. A total of 15 projects have been carried out to support the grandiose Expo 2020. RTA is also working on extending the metro line by another 15 kilometres, connecting seven stations along the Route 2020 of the Dubai Metro. Add to this the construction of more flyovers in Dubai, 200 more public buses and 15,000 new taxis. The Roads and Transport Authority has been one of the biggest spenders on the part of the UAE government when it comes to developing the infrastructure of the country.

The RTA is also focusing on innovating new features for the urban population in the UAE. An innovation facility has been established at the Dubai Tram facilities. The RTA is considering upgrading smart applications and processes to update the management and enterprise risk management systems. The Roads and Transport Authority now provides a whole package of 173 services that can be accessed through the nine smart applications that it has launched. RTA Dubai application as well the other ones can be used to access all online services that the RTA offers including mock driving theory tests, Salik balance inquiry, car insurance status check and more. Another RTA app named Sharekni can be used for arranging carpools. The goal is to maintain the ease of public transportation for the general public. 

There are other innovative features too that are coming up such as the Happiness Meter, which is going to be uploaded soon on the RTA website and will offer several customer services. It must be acknowledged that this is quite a unique feature, as it is designed to try and measure customers’ happiness using artificial intelligence. The initiative has been laid out by the dedicated Customer Happiness Centre of the RTA in Umm Ramool. Apart from that, an online Transportation Activities Rental System has been developed to manage the car rental system in the Emirate. 

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In a Nutshell

The Roads and Transport Authority of the UAE is one of the most important government authorities in the emirates. It is responsible for maintaining almost all aspects of public transportation in the emirates as well many aspects of your private vehicles. Established not long ago, the RTA has become a very important organisation in the UAE performing irreplaceable roles. Whether it is a new luxury license plate that you need or a brand-new driving license for driving in the UAE, RTA will assist you with it all.

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