Transportation will be one of the strongest strategic pillars in Dubai’s quest to become a "smart city," according to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.

The Roads and Transport Authority is implementing a plan to have a unified control center to manage the city's transportation that will introduce local fleets and other road users to new regulations.

The authority will use telematics, which uses wireless devices to transmit data, to allow fleet operators to monitor the location and performance of their vehicles and to assign jobs to drivers, monitoring their hours to prevent fatigue-related accidents.

When implemented properly, these fleet management solutions will pay for themselves within one year, said Brodie von Berg, the head of sales and marketing at MiX Telematics Middle East.