Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has once again maintained its ground-breaking achievement of publishing the 2018 sustainability report compatible with the global standards for sustainability reporting (GRI standards), which merited RTA the prestige of being the first global roads and transport entity to achieve this billing. The achievement is certified by the Reasonable Assurance Statement of the Norwegian DNV GL; a specialist organisation in the assessment of sustainability reporting of firms and government entities. 

Nasir Abu Shehab, CEO of Strategy and Corporate Governance, Head of the Higher Committee for Sustainability as well as Energy and Green Economy Committee, RTA, was delighted with this statement issued in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 using DNVGL VeriSustain protocols. “This statement reflects the transparent and rigorous scientific principles adopted and the accurate data and statistics presented in RTA’s Sustainability Report 2018,” he noted. 

“In 2016 RTA obtained such a statement in respect of the first-ever sustainability report prepared by an entity in the field of roads and public transport worldwide compatible with GRI standards, which underscored RTA’s commitment to playing a leading role in sustainability reporting. In 2018, RTA upgraded its sustainability structures paving the way for bringing in excellent expertise and adopting the highest global practices, heralding a turning point in boosting our sustainability drive. More efforts are being put to raise the awareness of our employees about their role in achieving our sustainability ambitions,” added Shehab.

In line with its strategic goal (financial sustainability), RTA exceeded the target by cutting costs in 2018 by 14% and maximizing revenues by 5% of the approved budget for the same year. 

On the social front, customers and employees happiness and community development figure out in RTA’s key goals,, RTA contributed more than AED 5 million to 85 social responsibility initiatives. Cooperation is in hand with public and private entities to benefit more than 300 thousand members of the community. 

In the environmental aspect, RTA is aware of its responsibility towards conserving the environment for future generations. This drive is translated into environmental-friendly practices, improved monitoring levels, and exercising a higher control over the impacts of RTA’s processes, especially carbon emissions. 

RTA’s efforts in this regard contributed to reducing carbon emissions in 2018 by 1.71% compared with 2017 thanks to the implementation of energy-saving initiatives such as replacing conventional lights by LED lights, introducing solar energy to power operation sites, and recycling 65% of waste and 86 tons of aluminum used in licensing plates in cooperation with recycling companies. 

“Living up to its sustainability responsibility, RTA has to make use of modern technologies. It has therefore set sight on the fourth industrial revolution technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to use it in various capacities and services. These efforts are focused on generating a benefit to the national economy through building and expanding transport infrastructure and forging partnerships between the public and private sectors. RTA has got to make more efforts to achieve corporate agility that demonstrates its ability to quickly respond to changes in its internal and external environment such that it will be able to seize the initiative and make headway,” concluded Shehab.