A new online car pooling project is set to greatly reduce congestion and minimise the economic impact of traffic jams, officials from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said yesterday.

A solution to the emirate's traffic problems could help haulage companies gain some control over their rising operating costs as increasing diesel prices push up road freight rates.

Businesses in the emirate lose a total of Dh4 billion every year as a result of delays caused by congestion, with companies involved in the movement of goods and people the worst affected.

Now, following its campaign to encourage car pooling to reduce hold-ups, the RTA has launched a website called Sharekni to put car-owners in touch with commuters seeking lifts.

"This is the first initiative of its kind in this region," said Abdul Aziz Malik, CEO of the Dubai Taxi Agency and acting CEO of the RTA's Public Transport Agency. "We are optimistic that it will help reduce the number of vehicles on the roads and at the same time minimise the direct effects of traffic congestion on businesses."

A vehicle owner can register on the website – www.sharekni.ae – for free and create an online profile. Then he or she can search the site for registered commuters sharing the same route or working in the same location.

The Public Transport Agency will maintain a database of registered commuters and car owners and help to match the data.

Car owners will obtain a permit valid for six months permitting them to pick up registered commuters. Drivers can choose preferred commuters on any given day but cannot transport more than four people on the same route in a single day.

"All users of the service have to be registered, which will prevent the system being abused by illegal taxi operators," added Malik. "A driver would be fined if they did not possess a permit or if any of the passengers were not registered for that particular day and route."

Commuters can use the website to choose different drivers on different days for any other routes they might wish to take. While the website links up car owners and commuters it is up to the two parties to agree on cost-sharing terms for fuel and maintenance. Malik said the Sharekni initiative followed field studies conducted by a team from the Public Transport Agency in collaboration with a global consulting firm, which assessed traffic conditions in the emirate.

There are more than 850,000 registered vehicles in Dubai that make up to 1.8 billion trips a year – a figure that is likely to increase if traffic congestion is not contained. Recent statistics put Dubai among the cities with the highest vehicles per capita in the world, with 600 vehicles per 1,000 people. Singapore has just 111 vehicles per 1,000 people.

On average there is one car for every 1.84 residents in Dubai with an average occupancy of 1.6 people per vehicle. Mohammed bin Fahad, Acting Director of Planning and Business Development at the Public Transport Agency, said the initiative would help reduce fuel and maintenance costs as well as carbon emissions.

The move would free up parking spaces at offices and, by cutting congestion levels, allow haulage companies to move goods more quickly.

The RTA is investing more than Dh20bn in mass transit systems with a view to increasing the current six per cent level of public transport usage in Dubai to 30 per cent in the next five years.


The numbers

Dh4bn: The amount lost by businesses in Dubai every year due to traffic delays

1.8bn: Trips are made by the more than 850,000 registered vehicles in Dubai a year