Some Useful & Free Online Services everyone needs in UAE.
From food delivery to parking via taxi bookings, we round up the top Dubai apps that aim to make your life that little bit easier.
Many Dubai residents will agree that one of the big draws to life in this city is having numerous services at your fingertips. With a growing number of local apps being developed here every month, many businesses and government services in Dubai now have convenience down to an art. In recent weeks, a slew of new smartphone apps have launched, making even the simple things we do more efficient. According to a survey conducted by UK research company Portio Research there will have been more than 800 million smartphones shipped worldwide by the end of the year and 14 percent of those are in the MENA region. This year, ABI Research predicts that 56 billion smartphones will be downloaded worldwide, with a percentage of those homegrown Dubai apps. Here we round up some top local apps and put them to the test.
RTA Dubai Apps.
The award-winning RTA Dubai App. Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority’s nifty app lets you calculate the fare between Metro destinations, check your NOL balance, pay for parking, book a taxi and find out about current projects being undertaken by the organisation. Sadly, the aspects of the app which rely on your location to provide you with the nearest Metro or bus station are not quite as seemless as we would want. Free. Available on Android, Blackberry, Apple and Windows devices. www.rta.ae.
Cleartrip.ae
Cleartrip allows you to search and book flights, hotel and package holidays instantly from your smartphone. What’s great is that it searches flights from a wide range of airlines, saving you valuable search time. The app developers are based in India and we found the most useful for travel between there and the UAE with other destinations less well served. Free, iPhone, www.itunes.apple.com Android, play.google.com.
Business in Dubai
Developed by the Department of Economic Development with the aim to streamline the process for small business start-ups, this app allows you to register your business and trade name. As well as setting up a profile you can renew your licence, reserve a trade licence and make enquiries, plus view your licence info. Free. Available on Apple devices. www.dubaided.gov.ae
Easy navigation with Waze
Hate being stuck in traffic? Don’t we all! You can now spend less time on the road and more time having fun thanks to Waze. The world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, Waze lets you share real-time traffic and road information with your community, allowing you to save time and money on petrol.
DEWA
Handy for those of us who have trouble remembering to pay bills, this app is perfect for erratic financiers and provides a breakdown of your water and electricity services charges, as well as giving you the option to pay your bill online. All you need is your DEWA contract number. It also features educational videos on how to save on water and electricity, which we quite like. Free. Available on Apple devices. www.dewa.gov.ae
Car insurance in Dubai
With so many different options for car insurance in the UAE to choose from, the process can quickly get confusing and stressful. That’s where ServiceMarket comes in to help… It helps you find the best car insurance companies in Dubai based on your criteria, by comparing an array of online quotes.
All you need to do is describe the car you’re looking to insure, outline your driving experience, and voila, get relevant car insurance plans sent to you within seconds. You can even filter the results by policy coverage and price, and buy your preferred motor insurance policy directly there and then. Could it be any easier?!
Say goodbye to pages of terms and conditions, and hello to quick and easy car insurance quotes!
