Duty of care for business travellers in the UAE: a ground transport checklist

What does duty of care mean for ground transport?

The employer owes its travelling staff reasonable care. On the ground, that means the right driver in the right vehicle on a planned route, with someone watching the trip and a way to reach help.

A paper trail matters as much as the ride. Travel managers and HR teams need to show what they checked and when. The rest of this page is a checklist you can copy, and the wider buying questions are in our corporate ground transport guide.

Operator checks

• A valid trade licence and the transport permit for the emirate where the trip runs.
• Fleet insurance that covers passengers.
• A vehicle list with model years.
• A 24/7 contact that answers.

Assure is RTA licensed in Dubai and answers 24/7 on WhatsApp and phone. Local work that starts and ends in another emirate may need a partner licensed there, and we tell you which before you book. The RFQ checklist has 25 further questions, and what an RTA licence means explains the permit.

Chauffeur checks

Ask the operator how it checks drivers, in writing: the professional driver permit for the emirate, a valid licence and Emirates ID, and training records. The RTA issues professional driver permits in Dubai, and the Abu Dhabi permit comes from its own transport authority. We could not confirm the exact current requirements here, so ask each operator for copies.

For vetting steps specific to Assure, ask us directly through our corporate team. We will give you what we can document and nothing else.

Vehicle checks: age, seat belts and child seats

• Every seat has a working seat belt. The federal schedule fines AED 400 and 4 black points for an unbelted driver or passenger.

• Air conditioning works, which matters in a UAE summer.

• Bags fit without blocking the rear window.

Trip checks: tracking, ETAs, name boards and pickup verification

Before the trip, you should have the chauffeur’s name, the car’s plate and a contact number. On arrival, the chauffeur holds a name board in the arrivals hall and sends a message when the flight lands.

Ask for live location sharing on longer trips such as Dubai to Abu Dhabi, about 140 km, so a colleague can follow it. The airport transfers page shows what a standard arrival looks like.

Weather risks: summer heat, winter fog and heavy rain

• Heat: pre-cool the car, carry water, and avoid leaving a passenger in a parked car.
• Fog: it forms on winter mornings, mainly inland and on the roads out of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Police lower the limit to 80 km/h on affected roads, shown on electronic boards. Drivers follow the displayed limit and leave extra time.
• Heavy rain: heavy rain can close roads and disrupt flights. Keep an alternative hotel or a flexible schedule for the day after a storm.

Late-night arrivals and solo travellers

A late arrival at DXB or Zayed International is the riskiest hour of a trip. The traveller is tired, the arrivals hall is quiet and the drive to the hotel is often 30 to 45 minutes.

Send the chauffeur’s name and plate before the flight departs. For women travelling alone, our solo female traveller rides guide lists what to ask. Our chauffeur service page shows how a named driver works.

What happens after an accident in the UAE?

1. Stop safely and check for injuries.
2. Call 999 for police, 998 for an ambulance or 997 for civil defence.
3. For a minor crash with no injuries, report it through the Dubai Police or Abu Dhabi Police app.
4. Contact the operator’s 24/7 line for a replacement vehicle.
5. Keep the police report for the insurer and the employer.

Vetting chauffeurs: licences, background checks and training records

Ask for these four items for every driver on your account:

1. Valid UAE driving licence.
2. Professional driver permit for the emirate.
3. Proof of training and any refresher records.
4. A conduct record, if your policy requires one.

Whether a good conduct certificate is issued and how it is obtained is a matter for Dubai Police; we could not confirm the process here. Delegation work has stricter rules, which are in our delegation transport guide. Transport for staff who live in company housing follows different rules, covered in worker transport rules. More about the company is on about Assure.

Printable checklist

• Operator licence and insurance copies on file.
• Chauffeur name, plate and phone number sent before the trip.
• Seat belts and child seats checked.
• Live tracking or ETA updates agreed.
• 24/7 number saved by the traveller and the travel desk.
• Weather and road closure check the day before.
• Accident steps shared with the traveller.