If you enjoy Kafka remakes with air conditioning and Arabic coffee, this is for you. If you want to keep your sanity, use the RTA app and never, ever visit in person.
I walked into the RTA Drivers Affairs section needing a simple license renewal. What I got was a masterclass in bureaucratic time dilation.
After paying 300 AED for “knowledge and innovation fees” (I learned nothing, and saw no innovation), I was sent to a machine that prints a barcode to scan at another machine that prints a ticket to hand to a human who types the same barcode into a computer.
The building is shiny. Air conditioning works. The staff looks professional. Digital queuing system exists—on paper.
My “5-minute eye test” required a separate building, a printed receipt (email apparently doesn’t count), and a stamp. Yes, a physical stamp in 2024. Then back to the main counter, where the officer smiled and said, “Your file is in another emirate.” My file. Which is digital. In 2024.
If you enjoy Kafka remakes with air conditioning and Arabic coffee, this is for you. If you want to keep your sanity, use the RTA app and never, ever visit in person.
I walked into the RTA Drivers Affairs section needing a simple license renewal. What I got was a masterclass in bureaucratic time dilation. drivers affairs rta
After paying 300 AED for “knowledge and innovation fees” (I learned nothing, and saw no innovation), I was sent to a machine that prints a barcode to scan at another machine that prints a ticket to hand to a human who types the same barcode into a computer. If you enjoy Kafka remakes with air conditioning
The building is shiny. Air conditioning works. The staff looks professional. Digital queuing system exists—on paper. What I got was a masterclass in bureaucratic time dilation
My “5-minute eye test” required a separate building, a printed receipt (email apparently doesn’t count), and a stamp. Yes, a physical stamp in 2024. Then back to the main counter, where the officer smiled and said, “Your file is in another emirate.” My file. Which is digital. In 2024.