Majid Al Futtaim, the operator of several malls and retail outlets in Dubai, has confirmed that it has no plans to increase parking fees or tariffs for motorists and shoppers visiting the Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira, and City Centre Mirdif.
On Wednesday, the Dubai-based conglomerate signed a five-year agreement with Parkin, the largest provider of paid public parking facilities and services in the emirate, to implement barrierless parking for over 20 million cars that pass through these three malls annually. The contract will take effect in January 2025.
"Importantly, the fees have not changed. We're not looking at an increase in fees," said Khalifa Bin Braik, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management.
Mall of the Emirates will continue to offer free parking for the first four hours, while City Centre Deira will remain free for the first three hours. If shoppers stay longer and make a purchase, they can validate their ticket to waive the fees. Parking at City Centre Mirdif will also remain free, with some VIP spaces currently having parking barriers that will be removed once Parkin takes over the system.
The main objective of the deal with Parkin is to better manage and regulate parking, with charges remaining unchanged, according to Bin Braik.
Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management operates 29 shopping malls in five countries, with Mall of the Emirates as its flagship project. Earlier this year, Majid Al Futtaim and the Roads and Transport Authority collaborated on major road network upgrades around the Mall of the Emirates, including the construction of a flyover to provide direct access from Abu Dhabi.
With Parkin’s barrierless parking technology, visitors will no longer need to wait at barriers when entering or exiting mall car parks. Advanced cameras will automatically capture license plates, tracking each vehicle’s progress and duration of stay, significantly reducing congestion levels and customer queuing times, particularly during peak hours.
Bin Braik explained that this barrierless parking would "eliminate the need to stop and get a ticket, and then again eliminate the delays that usually happen on exits." On busy periods during weekends and public holidays, consumers would save anywhere from 20 seconds to a few minutes per trip, allowing shoppers to spend more time at malls.
Bin Braik added that they will consider other players for their other assets that have the technology and put consumers front and at the center of everything Majid Al Futtaim does. "We will give a fair chance to everybody, definitely."
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