Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) continued to develop its monitoring and inspection system for passenger transport activities during the first half of 2026, with field inspections recording higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness. The improvement has driven higher compliance and safety standards and curb illegal practices across the transport sector.

Saeed Al Balooshi, Director of Passenger Transport Activities Monitoring at RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said: “RTA carries out intensive monitoring and inspection operations in collaboration with strategic partners to ensure compliance with legislation and regulatory requirements and enhance the quality of services provided to transport users across the Emirate of Dubai.

“Results for the first half of 2026 reflect continued improvement in the efficiency of field monitoring and the effectiveness of joint inspection campaigns, boosting compliance levels and strengthen discipline across the various transport sectors, particularly at key locations and high-activity areas. Efforts also focused on combating unlicensed passenger transport.”

RTA carried out more than 1.6 million inspections across various passenger transport sectors during the first half of 2026, covering public transport activities and users of public transport facilities, school transport, tourist transport, chartered buses and unlicensed transport. The corresponding figure for the same period in 2025 was 1.5 million inspections.

A total of 30,000 violations were recorded during the first half of 2026, compared with 38,000 during the same period in 2025, a decrease of approximately 21%. The decline indicates improved compliance and shows that inspection campaigns remain effective in detecting violations and reducing repeat offences.

Joint campaigns conducted with the General Department of Airport Security, the General Department of Criminal Investigation and the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai resulted in 340 violations involving passenger transport in unlicensed vehicles and the promotion of illegal transport services, compared with 797 violations during the first half of 2025, a decrease of 57%.

A further 244 vehicles were impounded after their drivers fled the scene, a decrease of 48% compared with the same period last year. The reduction indicates effective coordination among the relevant entities in curbing illegal activities.

In the school transport sector, RTA carried out more than 8,000 inspections over the two years. During the first half of 2026, the inspections resulted in 654 violations, 15% fewer than in the previous year, while the compliance rate reached approximately 92%.

In the public transport sector, RTA carried out more than 1.2 million inspections covering public bus users, public transport facilities and bus drivers. More than 28,000 violations were recorded, with the compliance rate reaching approximately 97.8%.

In the chartered bus, tourist transport and international transport sectors, RTA carried out more than 12,000 inspections during the first half of 2026, resulting in 602 violations and a compliance rate of 95%.

The results confirm the success of RTA’s plans to develop field monitoring and use smart data analytics to direct monitoring and inspection operations more efficiently. This contributes to the safety of passenger transport users and reinforces Dubai’s position as a global model for the efficiency and quality of transport services.