The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a car pooling smart app called Sharekni. The new app allows people to apply for the relevant permits, search for others commuting along the same route, and displays drivers and passengers on a map.
The move comes in a bid to promote car-pooling in the city to ease traffic congestion.
The app is designed to promote contact between drivers and other residents who may be interested in car-pooling. Drivers enlisted in the Sharekni service can only divide fuel costs among their passengers and are not allowed to impose any other charges.
Through this service, the RTA is seeking to ease snarls in Dubai, especially during peak times, reduce the number of Single Occupancy Vehicles [SOVs], and slash the overall number of vehicles on streets, said Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA , who launched the new app.
Al Tayer said that the car pooling service, which was launched by the RTA in July 2008, had witnessed a steady growth in the number of registered users, growing by as much as 16 per cent in 2014.
According to Al Tayer, the service portal, sharekni.ae, has been upgraded, and the smart app has been carefully designed to make it friendly to all segments of the community. The App is currently available in Arabic and English, but will soon be available in Chinese, Tagalog and Urdu languages.
