News

Dubai’s RTA Unveils Solar-Powered “RailBus” Transit System

The autonomous vehicle will be built using 3D printing technologies and recyclable materials, and can accommodate up to 40 passengers.

Published

2 years ago

February 11, 2025

Nour Nasir

dubai's rta unveils solar-powered railbus transit system

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has introduced the RailBus project — a high-tech, solar-powered and completely autonomous public transport system. The announcement of the concept, confirmed by Dubai’s government media office, aligns with the Emirate’s Net Zero 2050 strategy.

The RailBus is being championed by the government as a game-changer for urban mobility. The project was reviewed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, alongside His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. The review took place at the World Governments Summit, where Dubai’s RTA had its own stand.

The RailBus system is designed with sustainability in mind: Built using 3D printing technologies and recyclable materials, each carriage weighs around 7 tons and accommodates up to 40 passengers. The 11.5-meter-long and 2.65-meter-wide carriages can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h. The system is projected to cut operational costs by 20-30% compared to more conventional public transit types.

Dubai’s government confirmed that the RTA will conduct “technical studies” to determine optimal locations for pilot projects. The initiative follows an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed between the RTA and US-based company RAILBUS Inc., which aims to develop the world’s first fully solar-powered public transport network.

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His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, who briefed Sheikh Mohammed, highlighted the potential of RailBus: “The project reflects RTA’s commitment to fostering public-private partnerships and supporting start-ups in developing next-generation autonomous transport systems. RailBus is solar-powered, highly efficient, and cost-effective, integrating with Dubai’s public transport network. It also enhances first and last-mile connectivity, ensuring safe, smooth, and sustainable travel for residents and visitors in urban areas”.

News

Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA

Nearly seven in ten streams in the region come from 18-to-34-year-olds — the audience Samsung is hoping to entice into its ecosystem.

Published

6 days ago

August 7, 2026

Nour Nasir

Samsung

Samsung has announced a partnership with Spotify spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye, bundling Spotify Premium with select devices across its ecosystem. The headline offer — up to four months of Premium for free — is a first for the region.

Customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye who buy any OLED or 98-inch television, or any Galaxy S or Z series mobile device, get four months of Spotify Premium. The offer, tiered by market and device, is available at retail and on Samsung.com, and redeemed through the Samsung Promotion and Samsung Members apps.

For Samsung, the strategy is less about free music than about lock-in. The Korean tech giant’s pitch is continuity: a track starts on a Galaxy smartphone through Galaxy Buds on the commute, moves to a Samsung TV and soundbar in the living room, and stays controllable from a Galaxy Watch. The more seamlessly music travels between those devices, the harder it becomes to swap any one of them for a rival’s.

“Technology should bring people closer to the things they love, and few things connect people the way music does,” said Omar Saheb, Regional VP of Marketing and Online Business at Samsung Electronics MENA. The partnership, he added, gives customers “a genuine reason to choose Samsung for the experience, not only the product”.

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For subscribers, Premium brings the usual package: ad-free listening, offline downloads, richer audio quality on Galaxy Buds and Samsung sound devices, and Jam, which lets friends build a shared queue.

“At Spotify, we are always working to make every listening moment feel more personal, meaningful, and worth it,” said Rami Jamal, Head of Partnerships at Spotify for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.

The demographics go a long way to explaining the strategy. Across MENA, Türkiye, and Pakistan, nearly seven in ten Spotify streams come from listeners aged 18 to 34, according to the company — precisely the audience Samsung wants inside its hardware ecosystem before buying habits harden.