The population of the United Arab Emirates mostly uses private cars for transportation purposes. Despite the reforms in infrastructure, UAE still experiences traffic congestion, especially during the peak hours of the day. The government has introduced regular reviews on petrol prices legislation as a way of discouraging private autos that would force people to use public means of transports such as buses and metro. Despite their own cars being convenient, they have significantly increased the carbon footprint and are more expensive compared to metro and trains. The government has developed a metro station system to encourage the citizens to use public transport. The go-green concern is gradually affecting the preferences of the consumers in UAE. The people are buying more eco-friendly and hybrid electric cars and less of the heavy fuel consuming trucks and cars. One of the primary reasons for choosing this topic was to critically analyze the current transportation in UAE, its benefits and demerits, and the envision of its future. Private autos and the use of cars as an initiative by UAE is one that has received welcome and controversy, however, is still being implemented.
The United Arab Emirates has one of the highest vehicle densities recorded in the world. As written in Gulf News, Dubai records a vehicle density of 540 for every 1000 individuals. In 2006, the number of cars was 740,000. Eight years ago, Dubai saw an average annual increase of cars at 8.2%, which amounts to 1.4 million vehicles.
Problems created by intensive use of cars have forced the city to work with federal authorities in developing a measure that restricts ownership of cars and reduces traffic congestion. In addition, the government has cut on fuel subsidies and has reviewed fuel prices on a monthly basis. According to Meyer (2007), Nasser Abu Shehab, the Director of Strategic Transport Planning at RTA, states that “At 8.2%, the average annual increase of vehicles in Dubai is very high and may reach around 2.22 million vehicles in the year 2020.”
Private cars are mostly preferred in the UAE since they are individually owned and, therefore, are always ready to be used when required. When a private car is coupled with public infrastructure such as a fuel station, it allows high flexibility since it provides a freedom of movement that other public means of transport do not. Private car owners enjoy the comfort of both the driving and simply being in the car within a protected and acclimatized interior (Al Nahyan, Sohal, Fildes, & Hawas, 2012). According to Worku, having a personal car improves one’s efficiency during traveling, saves time, and is a form of one’s wealth declaration (Worku, 2013).
The increase in the use of car transport in Dubai has significantly contributed to the high level of traffic congestion, especially during the morning and evening peak hours. Car transport in Dubai has reduced the efficiency of recently expanded roads and other infrastructure. The city records a Travel Time Index of 1.69. High congestion levels have resulted in the loss of 5 billion Dirhams in the form of fuel and time. Solution to congestion in roads is a shift from private car transport to interstate buses and metro trains and adoption of eco-friendly hybrid vehicles. Additionally, the government may curb the number of imported vehicles to ensure that they are suitable for the current road system. As the current infrastructure receives additional upgrades, the number of imported vehicles gradually resumes.
Car transport is relatively more expensive compared to other forms of transport such as the interstate bus, trains, and commuter buses. In Dubai, a household owns an average of five cars. This type of ownership means that a private car remains idle for the majority of its lifespan, and it depreciates from the time it is purchased. Private vehicles have worse economies of scale in individual to fuel ratio when compared to other bulk carrying forms of transportation. The average capacity utilization of private cars is below 1.5 passengers (Al Ali, Hrairi, & Al Kattan, 2012). Private cars incur a variety of running costs including fuel tax, repairs and maintenance, insurance, parking fee, car washes, and bridge tolls. Richard Harris, a Solution Director at Xerox International Transportation and Government Group, told Arabian Business that there was a need to introduce high occupancy vehicle lanes and toll lanes in Dubai as a way of easing traffic congestion. He said, “All too often, there is one person in the vehicle, so you get 100 vehicles, 100 people. In the United States, we have introduced high occupancy vehicle lanes and high occupancy toll lanes” (Al Ali, Hrairi, & Al Kattan, 2012).
The need for an optimal mix of sustainable means of private and public transportation is necessary to improve the efficiency of the transport system. The optimal mix would be the use of fuel-efficient cars and eco-friendly vehicles. The UAE needs to shift from the use of private cars and utilize more efficient public transport systems such as the metro system and eco-friendly private cars. Sustainability of the economy dictates that the public adopts the use of electric and hybrid cars. There is a need for RTA to develop high quality transport systems for the fast growing population of Dubai. The government’s initiative to enhance public transport, roads, and railways will make travelling much smoother and safer in use. Secondly, the optimal mix would reduce carbon footprint as well as travel time index of UAE.
In Abu Dhabi, 4% of commuters use public transport while 96% use private cars. Most recently, the government increased the fuel prices as a way of encouraging more car users to consider switching from private to public transport. However, real change will happen if the increase in fuel costs is substantial and the public system is made available to all citizens. Public transport, such as commuter buses, should also be of high quality and reliable in use. Public transport in the UAE will become successful when its operations and accessibility become more efficient than the use of private cars.
The climate in the UAE is not conducive for walking, and Dubai’s Metro System is structured in such a way that most people have to walk five miles to get to the bus station. Most citizens prefer their private cars to get to the station when they want to use public transport. The only way to avert this scenario is if the bus stations are well linked to the feeder system (Al-Kodmany & Ali, 2013). Mr. Ahuja, a consultant for Traffic and Transport Planning, says, “Funds raised from an increase in fuel prices should be invested in a transport fund” (Al-Kodmany & Ali, 2013).
Dubai's metro services have contributed significantly to changing UAE demographics' perception about public transport. In fact, 80% of those using the metro service do not own cars. The metro is a cheaper alternative to taxi since one can get a regular ticket for only 14 Dirhams. Since it is an affordable and efficient means of transport, the metro has recorded a significant increase in a number of passengers from 600,000 in 2009 to half a million in 2015.
In the recent past, the UAE has encouraged the idea of an environmentally friendly transport system despite the fact that the country is not running out of fuel reserves any time soon for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the region. After deregulation of prices of petrol in 2015, the UAE residents were more willing to purchase green vehicles. The government unveiled the Dubai Police Fleet of hybrid and mini electric cars in 2015. Auto manufacturers in UAE have not only prioritized producing cars that meet the basic emission standards but also try to keep up with government policies to improve the quality of air.
However, growth in the eco-friendly car is slower in this emerging market than in developed nations because most consumers prefer SUV fuel guzzler trucks to eco-friendly cars. Secondly, there are limited green options cars since this sector of the auto industry is relatively new. Eco-friendly car listings indicate that UAE stands at 5.8% at a first position in the region (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, 2011).
Improving the transportation system, especially the private car system, shall benefit me personally as I will not feel pressured to buy my own car. The improved system, which will include trains and metros, will be able to accommodate students, including me, who cannot afford purchasing their own vehicles. I believe that the future is still promising with the UAE having the capability to build and install high-speed trains that will eliminate the dependence of private cars. I, therefore, do believe that in the future the UAE will have a variety of transportation systems to cater for growing population and visitors alike. The region should take recommendations from nations such as Japan that have based the majority of their transportation on high-speed trains, eliminating the consequent congestion that would have occurred.
Conclusion
Petrol price deregulation in the UAE is aimed at influencing positively the economy and strengthening the regions. On an individual level, the use of the metro system will help to save on costs and time. However, long sustainability of the auto industry and the country as a whole can only be achieved with better road connectivity and reliable and cheap public transport that is made accessible from any point in the country. In addition, the UAE needs to upgrade its infrastructure, and substitute the use of fuel consuming car models with eco-friendly, hybrid, and electric cars and technologies.
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