Dubai: Matar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has announced a new smart phone payment service for public transport fares.

The system, to be showcased at Gitex 2012, will be operational by mid 2013.

Customers will be able to pay fares for Dubai Metro, public buses and the water bus through the new system.

The contactless technology, where the mobile phone is passed over sensors mounted on the access gates, is to be the first of its kind in the Middle East.

-The new service enables public transport users to pay their fares through the e-payment portal, top-up their Nol accounts electronically, and query about their balances through the phone,- Al Tayer said.