Authorities in Abu Dhabi have outlined regulations as a response to the rise of popularity of apps that allow customers to rent a vehicle by the hour or even the minute.
The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi announced the rules covering car-sharing apps.
“This service acts as an encouragement to society, motivating users towards using smart transport methods and contributing to the reduction of private vehicles possession, which in turn, reduces traffic congestion and maintains a clean environment,” read the announcement from ITC.
“It is also an opportunity for visitors, tourists, and businessmen to move from one place to another in the emirate with ease,” he added.
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The pay-by-use model of car hire saves on costs of insurance, maintenance and car loan repayments and are also viewed as a viable alternative to ride-hailing services such as Careem or Uber.
In Abu Dhabi, ekar and Udrive are the current service providers.
As per the regulations by Abu Dhabi’s transport authority, new operators must first gain approval from the Department of Economic Development and permission from the centre which will also issue a permit to the service provider and all vehicles used for rental must be licensed by it.
Those drivers who rent the cars should have a licence, be registered on the car-sharing app and adhere to traffic laws and the vehicles can be driven only by the registered users. (AW)
