Demand for Smart Car Rentals on the Rise in Dubai

Early 2017 Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) launched the Smart Rental Services with 200 vehicles. On Sunday, RTA announced that they have added 200 more cars to the fleet as demand for the service has seen a dramatic rise within the year. Adel Shakeri, Director of RTA’s Transportation Systems said, “The launch of this service is part of our response to the Smart City initiative of the Dubai Government.” He also added that: “Increasing the number of vehicles in smart car rental fleet from 200 to 400 vehicles contributes to our objectives of this service. From the launch in October 2017 up to the end of last August 2018, the service has made 365,662 trips comprising 277,832 renting hours.” The cars can be rented for six hours through the ‘eKar’ and ‘U drive’ mobile applications. The smart car rental is an online process with no human involvement at any point. The smart car can be picked up and returned at 45 locations including five metro stations. EPPCO and ADNOC gas stations provide free fuel. Free parking is available at RTA regulated car parks, the cars have free insurance and the cost of renting is 50 fils per minute and if the user returns the vehicle at the starting point of the journey then it is 40 fils per minute. This service is only available within the Dubai to both residents and tourists. In order to use the service, a user will be required to register through the eKar or U drive apps. Residents need to then give details of the Emirates ID, Driving License, Credit Card and a personal photo. For visitors, they need to enter their Passport details, Visa entry, Driving License and Credit Card details. In order to close up the smart car, the driver needs to lock it through the application and the bill for the service will be sent via online.