Press Releases
28 Apr 2021
RTA and Visa collaborate to study futuristic digital payment in transport and enable cashless economy
In an MOU signing ceremony held today, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, have agreed to collaborate on identifying solutions to improve nol customer experience and move towards realizing Dubai’s cashless economy ambitions. As part of the collaboration, both parties will share best practices and mutually beneficial experiences as well as conduct joint studies to identify customer pain points and design optimal solutions.
The studies will be conducted in two phases – first to identify futuristic digital payment opportunities in the transport space that can enable a cashless economy. In the second phase, RTA will also participate in workshops and programs conducted by Visa, as part of their global initiative to improve payment experience in transport.
Mohammed Yousuf Al Mudharreb, CEO of RTA’s Corporate Technology Support Services Sector, signed the MoU on behalf of RTA. Al Mudharreb praised the MoU signing considering it an important step towards building up strategic partnerships between regionally reputed entities, like RTA and Visa. This step would indisputably enhance RTA's tireless efforts to deliver top-notch services at an affordable rate to make people happy, including residents, visitors and tourists flocking to Dubai from all over the world.
"RTA always seeks to bring more value to customers and users of public transport. We are proud of this partnership with Visa, which we consider another milestone in RTA's efforts to establish customer happiness," said Al Mudharreb.
“RTA had established the 'nol Strategy 2020-2023' to make nol the leading digital ticketing payment and access platform enabling seamless mobility, to achieve the vision of cashless city” he added. In this regard, RTA introduced nol Pay application early this year, which enables customers to store nol cards digitally in their mobile phones. nol card can also be used for payment in more than 13,000 retail outlets in UAE, in addition to public parks, museums, Dubai Ladies Club, and more, to align with RTA’s ambitious plans to extend nol payment to other areas in the coming years.
Commenting on the MoU with RTA, Shahebaz Khan, Visa’s General Manager for UAE, said: “We are delighted to partner with RTA on identifying strategies and solutions to bring commuters more payment options, including using their contactless-enabled Visa card to pay for transport. We have seen a significant increase in consumer preference for digital payments, especially contactless, amid COVID-19 and contactless ticketing solutions will help transform passenger experience and make Dubai more connected. The consumer study will be useful in identifying consumer needs that will help us develop the right digital payment products for commuters.
Khan added, “Visa has successfully supported governments, transport operators, and technical partners all over the world in enabling seamless, secure digital payment solutions across transportation systems and we hope to bring our expertise to play in our partnership with RTA to co-create the future of seamless transportation in Dubai.”