100 million downloads and 4-star ranking ..
Users:
Technical success
and hands-on failure
RTA:
The app is still in a trial phase
and parking lots will be eventually increased
Ahmed Refaat said he likes the idea of the
app. He believes that it comes in line with
the approach adopted by Dubai and the
wider UAE in providing services through
smartphones. However, the problem lies
in that the development of technology
cannot succeed on its own without actual
implementation on the grounds.
Refaat went on to explain that the app,
since its launch last October, has signifi-
cantly helped goers of the area it covers,
but three months later, the app still covers
the same exact area with no additions. The
larger problem is that this particular area is
extremely crowded with vehicles, thus at
most times, even with the use of the app,
there are no vacant parking spots.
Refaat urged the RTA to increase the
number of parking lots as well as the area
covered by the app services, so that the
app might be a true success. He said that
if the app continues to function the way it
does at present without meeting these two
needs at a minimum, it will be useless.
Mahmoud Mohamed downloaded the app
as soon as it was released. He said the
app provided him with great services, es-
pecially that he is a frequent goer of the
area covered by the app almost on a daily
basis. The app helps him find available
parking spots before reaching the area,
thus heading to the available spot directly,
easily and conveniently.
Mohamed believes that key features of
the app include easy use, absence of
complexities and tedious signup proce-
dures. This encouraged him to use the
app. He also pointed out that the area
covered by the app services needs to be
expanded, in order for the app to achieve
its full purposes.
Osama Abdul Hamid distinguished be-
tween the app technology and the actual
services included in it. He explained say-
The Smart Parking app by the Roads and Transport Authority
(RTA) in Dubai was downloaded over 500,000 times on Google
Play. The downloads figure was very close on iOS. These figures
come although the app services are limited to the distance be-
tween Crown Plaza and Shangri-La hotels on Sheikh Zayed Road.
The app is still in its trial phase. The Smart Parking app users
gave the app four stars on Google Play. Reviewers agreed that the
feature set of the app is highly sophisticated and provides sever-
al services. The real problem preventing the app from achieving
sweeping success is the limited number of parking lots covered,
which is not commensurate at all with the number of users, add
to that the short distance covered by the app.
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