Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the commencement of registrations for the 13th Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport (DAST). This edition of the award, which is privileged by the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council. Registration will open from 2 October 2023, until the end of year.

The award is part of RTA’s initiatives aiming to motivate the public and private sectors to contribute to delivering safe and smooth transportation. It focuses on the development of innovative and sustainable roads and transportation systems and services to elevate customer experience to international standards.

To accommodate the growing participation from both the government and private sectors within the MENA region, and in conjunction with the UAE’s 2023 Year of Sustainability, this third edition has been revamped through restructuring and expanding the main categories from two to three, namely: Initiatives, Research & Development, and Special Honours categories.

“DAST is a prestigious award widely popular among government and semi-government bodies as well as private businesses and academic institutions. The publicity of the award is attributed to its role in acknowledging endeavours aimed at environmental and natural resources conservation, through the optimal use of energy, and the implementation of sustainable development principles in the transportation system. It charts the future of humans through continuously striving to consolidate the concept of public transport to reduce the carbon footprint,” said Hussain Al Banna, Chair of the Supreme Committee of DAST, and CEO of the Strategy & Corporate Governance Sector at RTA.

“RTA is keen to give sufficient time to those wishing to participate in the 13th edition of DAST and has also broadened the scope of participation in both the Initiatives and the R&D categories to encompass the MENA region. The move signals RTA’s commitment to bolstering Dubai’s vision to chart the future of sustainable transport by embracing top international practices and staying in touch with the latest in eco-friendly technologies and innovations,” added Al Banna.

“The 13th DAST is set to receive wider participation than what we had in the previous editions, which saw 140 participants largely due to the diversity of categories and the wider range of participation in the R&D category, which is projected to attract significant interest from individuals and academic institutions,” he noted.

RTA invites all interested applicants to register in all its categories via the website (www.rta.ae/dast). For further communication, they can also reach out via email: info.dast@rta.ae or dial (8009090).

The Supreme Committee of the Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport has restructured the award categories and prizes for the 13th edition as follows:

1.    Initiatives 
This category consists of five awards: The Outstanding Sustainable Transport Award, Initiatives in Mobility Management, Initiatives in Transportation Safety, Initiatives in Environmental Protection, and Initiatives for People of Determination. Participation in this category is open to entries from the MENA region.

2.    Research & Development
This category encompasses two awards: the Best Student/Research Project Award, and the Best Academic/ Research Project Award. Entries are open to participants from the MENA region.

3.    Special Honour 
This category consists of three awards: the Best Consultant in the Field of Sustainability, the Best Contractor in the Field of Sustainability, and the Best Partner in the Field of Sustainability. Entry to this category is exclusive to participants from the UAE.

The Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport illustrates RTA's drive to become "The World Leader in Seamless and Sustainable Mobility and matches the ongoing growth across diverse sectors in commerce, economy, tourism, and real estate among others.