Thursday, July 30, 2015 khaleej times

[1153112]

khaleejtimes | ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

Headquartered in Abu Dhabi,the Centre for Regulation ofTransport by Hire Cars(TransAD), aims to developthe taxi transport sector in

Abu Dhabi to the highest internationallevels of quality. Over the years, theCen-tre has successfully managed to makethe taxi transport in the emirate morereliable and efficient.With the introduc-tion of hi-tech apps andmodern technol-ogy, TransAD ensures comfortable, effi-cient and safe travel.Commenting on various achievements,

Mohamed Darwish Al Qemzi, GeneralManager of theCentre, toldKhaleej Times,Our main aim is to be the best providerfor taxi services. Most of our work is cen-tred on this. At TransAD, we have beenundertaking a lot of projects with the aimofproviding thebest services and safety topeople.Weprovide services to all sectionsof the societygeneral public, thosewithspecial needs, elderly, people who live inthe outskirts, and so on.

Running a 24/7 call centre, TransADensures that the average response time tohail a cab in Abu Dhabi is sevenminutes.After a customer places a call, a messagegoes out to five nearest taxis (of any fran-chise) and the driver closest to the arearesponds promptly. Customers can alsobook a cab through a smart app (AbuD-habi Taxi), which gives them an option tochoose their own taxi.

Active on several fronts, TransAD suc-cessfully launchedafleet of270newMer-cedes Vito Compact taxis, in cooperationwith EmiratesMotors Company. The tax-is display a higher level of luxury and spa-ciousness, besides being equippedwith allthe necessary safety features. There is aninteractive touch screen loaded with use-ful information and fun games. These ini-tiatives fit well with the Centres continu-

ous effort to upgrade its services.Making sure that drivers working for

various franchises are properly incen-tivised, Al Qemzi notes, There is aproper structure for daily collection, de-pending on how much the driversachieve. We make sure the drivers havebasic salary, accommodation plus medi-cal insurance. Besides, a commission canbe made depending on the drivers per-formance. We also have amechanism torate drivers with a good safety record for

which they are incentivised with certifi-cates and money.The Centre has adopted a number of

practices aimed at converting 25 percent of taxis to run onCompressedNatu-ral Gas (CNG) with 220 luxury vehicles(airport taxis) running on green diesel,and 16more on electricity. The initiativewas launched in cooperation with AbuDhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC),

Leading thebandwagonThe strategicobjectives ofTransAD are aimedto meet the futureneeds of Abu Dhabi

TransAD secured the firstplace in the Dubai Award forSustainable Transport (2015),held under the patronage of

Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammedbin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown

Prince of Dubai.

By Sadiq Shaban

MohamedAl Qemzi, GeneralManager of TransAD KT photo by Nezar Balout

BOOKNOW! 600 53 53 53

khaleej times Thursday, July 30, 2015

[1153109]

Emirates Motor Company(EMC) recently delivered 270special city taxis for TransAD inFebruary this year. Thismove fur-ther strengthens its dedication toconsumer satisfaction in the trans-port sector.EMC, which is a flagship com-

pany of Al Fahim Group, is an au-thorised distributor of Mercedes-Benz in the country with bases inAbuDhabi and Al Ain.The Mercedes-Benz Vito Com-

pact vans are custom-made as perTransAD requirements and runon eco-friendly diesel. The fleet,distributed by EMCs businessunit Daimler Commercial Vehi-cles (EMC CV), is designed withpartitionsforprivacyandequippedwith easy-to-use intercom sys-tems. EMCalso provided trainingfor designated drivers to becomefamiliarwith thevehiclesonboardfeatures and technology.EMC CV shares a strong rela-

tionship with TransAD. It hasworked closely in the last fouryears to help provide the bestproducts and services to custom-ers in the UAE, said Bilal Al Ribi,GeneralManager, EMCCommer-cial Vehicles.EMCs tieswith thegovernment

entity dates back to 2011 when ithad supplied two demo units fortrial. TransAD then placed an or-der for 205 Mercedes-Benz Vito115 CDI models in 2013 for useas airport taxis, and another eightunits designed for those with spe-cial needs. In 2015, the fresh or-der of 270 more vehicles was de-livered in batches betweenFebruary and April.Offering these tailor-made so-

lutions to ensurebest product sup-port and high availability of vehi-cles on the road is key to thesuccess of our relationship withTransAD and other clients inter-ested in commercial vehicles,saidFrankBernthaler,CEOAu-tomotive, Al FahimGroup.Since its inception in 1962, its

passenger car product line has al-most doubled. This led to a newoperating structure in June 2015,under which two business unitswithin the company EMCMer-cedes-Benz Passenger Cars (PC)and EMC Daimler CommercialVehicles (CV).EMC PC markets, distributes

and services all Mercedes-Benzluxury saloons, while EMC CVdistributes and maintains vans,buses and trucks. Both provideMercedes-Benz qualified servicewithhigh and consistent availabil-ity of Mercedes-Benz Genu-ineParts.Bernthaler said that the PC

unit witnessed a 23 per centgrowth, while CV recorded 78per cent rise in the first quarter of2015, compared to the same pe-riod last year.We are able to deliver 24/7

service, mobile workshop teamson customers sites in case vehi-cles cannot bemaintained inmainfacilities, and service contractpackages covering repair.We also

offer maintenance and extendedwarranty packages; genuine spareparts through EMC warehouseand Daimlers regional logisticscentre in Jebel Ali; aswell as train-ing for fleet customers techni-cians and drivers, Bernthalersaid, adding that EMC currentlyhouses one of the Middle EastslargestMercedes-Benz facilities.Regional CSR initiatives andstrategic tie-ups

Commitment to the community isAl Fahim Groups most valuableasset, according to Bernthaler.Its significant strategic tie-up

this year is with the Abu DhabiSports Council to sponsor activi-ties and sports matches. Theseevents include football tourna-ments, sports for special needs,horseback-riding races, jumpingand shooting, alongside diversetraining courses.Since its inception, the group

has generously supported thosein need and diligently soughtopportunities that have enabledit to make a difference, saidBernthaler.Furthermore, Eastern Motors

has been a close partner of the AlAinEquestrian, Shooting andGolfClub for several years. It has sup-ported a number of sports eventsincluding the Mercedes-Benz In-ternational Pro-Am Golf Tourna-ment, the ISSF World Cup Shot-gun and Asian Shotgun events,and Al Ain Rugby Club for young-er athletes.

farhana@khaleejtimes.com

The Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars (TransAD) ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

Personalised forcommuter comfort

Mainservices

Customer service and callhcentre servicesLicensing services for taxihdriversLicensing services tohfranchisee and limousinecompaniesGrievances services andhcomplaints of taxi driversCompliance and serviceshquality controlIssuance of NOC for taxihoperations

By Farhana Chowdhury

Emirates Motor Company distributes state-of-the-artluxury saloons to Abu Dhabis transport leaders

We are still working closelywith TransAD as they intendto transform the rest ofthe existing fleet of citytaxis in Abu Dhabi into moreluxurious comfort solutionsfor the public, following the270 units that have beendelivered to them earlierthis year. Bilal Al Ribi, General Manager,EMC Commercial Vehicles

accoladesandfutureplans

Eastern Motors will enter its second and third redevelopmentphase, which focuses on workshop areas and body-shop facilitiesfor passenger cars and commercial vehicles. This is set to openlater this year.Emirates Motor Company received several awards earlier thisyear fromDaimler Middle East and Levant for its 2014 perfor-mance including: Best Ever Sales Results, Best SUV Performancein the Region, Best Corporate Sales Performance in the Region,and Best Growth Rate in Retail in the Region.Eastern Motors was awarded the 2014 Sheikh Khalifa ExcellenceAward (SKEA) Silver CategoryAs part of major redevelopment of the EasternMotors site in AlAin, a new state-of-the-art showroom for Mercedes-Benz vehicleswas opened in June 2014.Emirates Motor Company had preceded its sister company in2013 with the SKEA Gold Category.In October 2014, EasternMotors secured a one-year extensionto its five-year contract with the Department of Transport for themaintenance of Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses, which currentlyserves Al Ains public transport needs. The contract extensionwill see the success story of this groundbreaking public/privatepartnership flourish for the next five years.

Frank Bernthaler

and through the combined ef-forts of the taxi companies andthe Department of Transport.Noting that the safety of cus-

tomer and driver is of prime im-portance, the General Managerof TransAD added that morethan 300 CCTV cameras havebeen installed in cabs as a pilotproject. Testing has been done.Wewill try and roll it out over thenext few months to one year (inprevious models). This projectcomes within the framework ofthe Centres efforts to regulateand monitor the services provid-ed to the public and to ensure thehighest standards of safety andquality. It is in line with our stra-tegic objectives that meet the fu-ture needs of the emirate.With cabs registering over six

million trips a month in AbuDhabi, Al Qemzi highlights itsrole in our daily lives. Thegrowth of taxi services in AbuDhabi has been phenomenal.We are doing our best to serve

the people but there is alwaysscope to do more. We need to gofaster, he concluded.

sadiq@khaleejtimes.com

Bilal Al Ribi

Omar Al KorweCall CentreManager, TransAD

We are proud to be a strategic part-ner of TransAD. We thank theirmanagement for their continuoussupport and guidance in providingefficient taxi services to the publicin Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the West-ern region.We are committed to and glad to

be a part of the journey spearheadedby TransAD, by consistently im-proving year after year and seekingnew methods to match the interna-tional quality.Arabia Taxi Transportation LLC

was awarded with the right to oper-ate 1,245 taxis in AbuDhabi, Al Ainand the Western region. The latestinclusion of smart taxis has com-pletely revitalised the image of taxiservices offered to the public. Smarttaxis offer a premium experience atthe same rate and a journey in a spa-cious taxi.With steady growth in taxis oper-

ating in two shifts (day and night),our customers need not worry aboutthe timings to reach their preferreddestination. We are continuouslystriving to improve the quality of ser-vice offered by our company. Ourtaxi drivers are well trained to drivesafely, have full knowledge of thecity and treat the customers with re-

spect and courtesy.We are confident that, with the

support and guidance of the trans-port-governing authorities, wewould exceed the internationalstandards of providing taxi servicesin the UAE and set a benchmark forthe other countries to emulate.

The writer is Vice Chairman andManaging Director of ArabiaHoldings Limited.

Smart taxis guaranteepremium experience

Arabia TaxiTransportationLLCwas awardedwith the rightto operate1,245 taxis inAbu Dhabi, Al Ainand theWesternregion. Thelatest inclusionof smart taxishas completelyrevitalised theimage of taxiservices offeredto the public.Smart taxisoffer a premiumexperience at thesame rate and ajourney in aspacious taxi.

PSMHabibulla Khan

KX_300715KTN022KX_300715KTN023