Surge in use of electronic services and smart app licences in Land Transport sector in Oman

Muscat — The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology has reported a significant rise in the use of electronic services and smart application licences within the land transport sector.

Eng. Khamis bin Mohammed Al Shammakhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry for Transport, highlighted that since the launch of the "Naql" platform in 2020, over 429,000 electronic transactions have been processed. The platform now offers 15 electronic services covering various areas, including taxi licences, passenger transport by bus, and freight transport.

In a statement to the Oman News Agency, His Excellency noted that the platform has issued seven licences for taxi service applications, two for passenger transport by bus, and five for freight transport. Additionally, four licences have been granted for land transport shelters to provide safe and suitable facilities away from residential areas.

Eng. Al Shammakhi also revealed that the "Naql" platform has seen a considerable increase in registered means of land transport, surpassing 490,000 vehicles used for both passenger and goods transport. Furthermore, the number of passengers transported by these registered vehicles has exceeded 12 million.

Regarding the Ministry’s regulatory efforts in monitoring and inspecting violations within the land transport sector, His Excellency disclosed the registration of approximately 12,000 violations related to unauthorised passenger transport by expatriates and around 8,000 violations concerning unauthorised freight transport by expatriates.

Eng. Al Shammakhi emphasised that these figures reflect a broader trend of growth in the land transport sector and an increasing reliance on electronic services and smart applications by users.