Roads & Transport Authority - Archived News Details

HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has approved seven initiatives to be undertaken by RTA in response to the declaration of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, of the Year 2017 as The Year of Giving in the UAE.

 

“The UAE’s designation of 2017 as The Year of Giving complements the benevolent drive initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose generous hands had reached out to the needy across the globe. Giving and charity have become a firm tradition and practice of the UAE under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi as well as Members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of the Emirates. 

 

“In keeping with the noble values of the UAE community, which give huge weight to the social responsibility and cooperative spirits among community members and organizations, and in the context of RTA’s responsibility towards the nation & the community, RTA has approved seven initiatives marking the Year of Giving. These initiatives span a wide array of charitable activities related to culture, education, philanthropy, donations and benevolence in public transport fields,” noted Al Tayer.  
 

Quality Initiatives
 

RTA’s participation in the Year of Giving includes Global Contributions initiative covering a number of poor countries. The RTA will donate some of its used assets to assist students with the provision of school buses, bicycles to make it easy for them to reach their schools. This initiative is coordinated with international charitable organizations such as the UNICEF and the UNHCR.  Initiatives also include The Charitable STEPS; an initiative intended to diffuse the culture of volunteering in concurrence with the Public Transport Day (Nov 1st). Under this initiative, steps will be laid in two metro stations as an exercise of a charitable practice. It is a kind of an interactive smart system intended to urge visitors of stations to use fixed steps instead of travelators, and the RTA will donate a specific amount in respect of each person who uses these steps. RTA’s initiatives also include Prepaid Training Program for 6 months to assist and groom 30 fresh graduates in tackling professional life. It offers them exposure to work in a variety of key RTA’s business domains such finance, marketing, customers service, innovation, and shaping the future. Trainees will gain guidance from RTA’s leadership and by the end of the program they will be issued with experience certificates from the RTA.

 

RTA’s initiatives also include Disabled Wheel Chair, intended to empower the mobility disabled children live independently and move smoothly to their destinations in the surroundings. The RTA undertakes to provide one wheel chair costing about 20 thousand dirham each month to be handed over to a disabled in collaboration with the concerned bodies. The RTA will also take part in the Dubai Engage program launched by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce to urge businesses encourage their employees to undertake charitable activities during the working hours.  About 118 members and 40 community partners are affiliated to the program which will adopt a policy of rewarding employees and entitling them to avail an official volunteering leave, to enhance the partnership with the community members. The RTA is launching the Dirham of Benevolence, a kind of an elective donation channel for RTA employees and motorists at the time of renewing their vehicles or issuing driver license. It also offers a chance for NOL card users to donate one dirham only upon the completion of any transaction at the RTA. To promote the principles of compassion and solidarity amongst RTA employees, the Bridge to Benevolence initiative, which is launched to raise donations from RTA employees to assist their colleagues embattled with difficulties and suffering special humanitarian conditions. 

 

The RTA has charted a plan for its participations in the Year of Giving as part of pre-prepared programs, activities and initiatives. RTA’s Charity Bus initiative will support the Food Bank, and Read More initiative will take part in Read with RTA app covering recording of audio books and the provision of specialist books for university students. The RTA will also step up its participation in national days such as the National Day, Flag Day and the Commemorative Day as well as the annual days such as the World Environment Day, Public Transport Day and Labors Day.