RTA sets new rules for Dubai's delivery motorbikes

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with the Dubai Police General HQ, Department of Economic Development (DED) and Dubai Municipality, has introduced new legal requirements for delivery motorbikes.

These rules will come into effect from 6 June 2017. Licensed motorbikes, which are currently in operation, will be given a grace period to adapt to the new conditions up until 6 March 2018.

Most of the new stipulations concern the delivery box which is mounted on the back of the motorbikes including a maximum dimension of 50x50x50cm, secure attachment, rounded edges and no protrusion beyond the back of the vehicle.

RTA Licensing Agency CEO Ahmed Bahrozyan elaborated: "The delivery box must be fitted with interior lights on all sides, must be tightly fixed to the body of the bike leaving no space in-between, must be fixed by means of fixing nails rather than welding, and the outer body of the box must be made of plastic with no sharp edges. Other conditions include: No other co-rider is allowed with the driver, phosphoric reflector strip must be affixed to the delivery box, and identifiable information must be written on both sides of the box, which has to be readable from 20 meters away.”

According to data revealed by the Traffic Department at Dubai Police, motorbike accidents resulted in 26 fatalities in 2015 and 2016. The new standards were introduced off the back of these statistics in an effort to reduce the hazards associated with motorbikes on Dubai’s roads.