Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has won two international platinum awards at the 18th edition of the Arab Ideas International Award, in recognition of its digital innovations for public bus services and its successful use of big data and artificial intelligence to develop the public transport system. The awards reflect the authority’s efforts to improve operational efficiency and raise the quality of services provided to passengers.
Smart operations and real-time passenger information
The authority received the Operational Efficiency Award for its project, “AI-Powered Data-Driven Smart Operational Efficiency Framework”, while the project “Automating Public Bus Service Alerts for Real-Time Passenger Information Dissemination” won the platinum award in the Value Added to a Product or Service category.
This achievement underlines the authority’s success in deploying big data, advanced analytics and continuous machine-learning techniques to enhance public bus services, supporting more efficient operations, improved service reliability and a better customer experience. It also aligns with Dubai’s vision of building a smart and sustainable transport ecosystem.
Tangible operational gains
The award-winning projects delivered measurable operational results, including the redesign of operating schedules based on real-time actual data and the development of smart operating procedures that reduce bus deployment during waiting periods. This supports environmental sustainability and helps cut carbon emissions.
The smart solutions also helped reduce trip cancellations by 4% through AI-powered predictive models, and cut early bus departures by 68%. In addition, they improved operational response speed by providing substitute buses immediately in the event of any disruption to metro services, alongside instant, automated real-time alerts for passengers.
Rising ridership and wider impact
These initiatives were reflected in the performance of the public bus network, which saw ridership rise to 197.2 million passengers in 2025, up 4.9% compared with 2024. This is the highest level recorded by the network in recent years, confirming the Roads and Transport Authority’s success in turning innovation and artificial intelligence into added value that enhances quality of life and strengthens Dubai’s global standing in smart and sustainable transport.