Dubai Metro station to carry Garmin name under landmark 10-year agreement
Technology brand joins growing list of companies investing in the city’s transport network
DUBAI – Dubai Metro’s ONPASSIVE station is set to take on a new identity after Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) granted 10-year naming rights to Garmin under an agreement with AMIT Retail LLC.
The station will be renamed Garmin Metro Station as part of Dubai’s long-running Metro Stations Naming Rights Initiative. The agreement brings the global technology brand into the initiative and further expands the participation of international companies in one of the emirate’s most prominent public transport assets.
Garmin, which specialises in smart devices and GPS navigation technology, secured the naming rights through AMIT Retail LLC, its sole distributor in the UAE. The agreement was signed by AMIT Retail and Hypermedia in the presence of Mada Media, the company responsible for organising, developing and managing Dubai’s out-of-home advertising sector. Under its concession agreement with RTA, Mada Media is authorised to oversee naming rights agreements for Dubai Metro stations.
The partnership reflects Dubai’s approach to strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors while creating investment opportunities around major transport infrastructure. It also adds a major international technology brand to the portfolio of companies associated with the Dubai Metro Naming Rights Initiative.
A global partnership
Abdul Mohsen Kalbat, CEO of RTA’s Rail Agency, said Garmin’s participation reaffirmed the success of the naming rights initiative in attracting leading brands from different business sectors in the UAE.
He said RTA continuously seeks to strengthen partnerships with the business community, in line with the UAE’s drive towards integrated public-private cooperation, exchange of expertise and the development of an attractive environment for high-value investments.
According to Kalbat, such partnerships help bring more leading brands and companies operating in the UAE into public transport projects while supporting broader economic growth.
He also highlighted the role of the naming rights programme in encouraging local and international companies to invest in public transport assets. The initiative, he said, supports Dubai’s position as a global hub for innovation by using a distinctive investment model that has gained recognition beyond the emirate.
The programme also allows RTA to increase the economic value of government assets by turning Metro stations into investment and media platforms. Kalbat linked the initiative to the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), particularly its focus on expanding partnerships and private-sector investment.
Kalbat described Dubai Metro Station Naming Rights as one of the world’s successful public-private partnership models. RTA launched the initiative in 2009 as the first of its kind globally, giving private companies and organisations the opportunity to build stronger brand visibility by associating their names with Metro stations.
Since then, Dubai Metro has developed into one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks and an important part of daily life for residents and visitors.
Red Line addition
Mansoor Al Sabahi, CEO of Mada Media, said Garmin’s arrival marked a new milestone for the initiative and welcomed the company to the portfolio of partners holding naming rights to stations on the Dubai Metro Red Line.
He said Garmin would be the first global brand to secure this particular investment opportunity, describing the agreement as another indication of the continued interest generated by Dubai Metro’s naming rights programme.
The initiative is managed by Hypermedia under the supervision of Mada Media. Al Sabahi said the programme gives companies an opportunity to strengthen their presence within Dubai and reach residents and visitors through their association with Metro stations.
The stations form part of commuters’ daily journeys and are among the city’s most recognisable public spaces. Naming rights therefore allow participating brands to maintain visibility through repeated exposure across the transport network rather than relying solely on conventional advertising placements.
Al Sabahi also pointed to the growing interest in the initiative among local, regional and international companies. He described the naming rights agreements as a major offering within Dubai’s out-of-home advertising sector and said they demonstrate the potential of public-private partnerships in supporting strategic economic initiatives.
For Garmin, the agreement extends its presence into one of Dubai’s most visible transport networks.
Clifton Pemble, CEO of Garmin, said the company’s mission was to create products that become an essential part of customers’ lives while supporting navigation, fitness, health and wellness.
He said Garmin was proud to collaborate with RTA and its UAE distributor AMIT Retail, adding that the company looked forward to building on the relationship and exploring further ways to support people in their everyday journeys.
Brand visibility
Habib Wehbi, Chairman and Group CEO of Hypermedia, said the value of media was increasingly linked to experiences that form part of people’s everyday lives.
He said the Dubai Metro Naming Rights Initiative represented this shift by turning public infrastructure into a long-term platform capable of creating value for cities, brands and the millions of people who use the network.
Wehbi welcomed Garmin to the initiative, saying the technology company’s decision to associate itself with one of Dubai’s most recognisable landmarks reflected the confidence global brands place in the emirate’s infrastructure, innovation and investment environment.
Abdul Aziz Abdulla, GMD of AMIT Retail LLC, described securing the naming rights for Garmin Metro Station as a major milestone for the company and said the partnership reflected its long-standing commitment to bringing international technology brands closer to communities across the UAE.
As Garmin’s exclusive UAE distributor, AMIT Retail said the agreement with RTA, Mada Media and Hypermedia goes beyond branding. The company highlighted Garmin’s work in health, fitness, outdoor recreation and navigation and said the partnership would reinforce the brand’s association with active lifestyles and advanced mobility.
AMIT Retail also said the agreement reflected its continued investment in the UAE and its focus on developing retail experiences around technology brands.
The naming rights provide Garmin with exposure across several touchpoints within Dubai’s transport system. The company’s name will be incorporated into station-related maps, signage and passenger information, while the identity will also extend to onboard audio announcements, smart applications, navigation systems and directional signage.
For investors, the naming rights model offers sustained exposure to Dubai’s residents, tourists and business visitors. The association with the Metro network also places participating brands alongside a transport system widely used across the emirate.
The programme can also support integrated marketing activity, allowing companies to connect station naming with promotional campaigns, interactive experiences and community initiatives.
New signage
RTA will progressively introduce the Garmin Metro Station name across its network. From September until the end of November 2026, the authority will update internal and external directional signage associated with the station across Dubai Metro stations.
The changes will extend beyond physical signs. RTA will also update digital smart systems and its public transport applications to reflect the new station identity.
Passenger information systems will be updated during the transition period to help ensure that Metro users can identify the station under its new name. Onboard audio announcements will also be changed, with the updated name announced before and upon arrival at the station.
The phased approach is intended to provide passengers with a clear transition from the former ONPASSIVE identity to Garmin Metro Station across the different channels used by Metro passengers.
RTA has called on Metro riders to take note of the updated station name across signage, digital systems and passenger information platforms during the transition period. Passengers who require assistance or have enquiries about the change can approach RTA teams at Metro stations during the implementation period.
The renaming forms part of the wider Dubai Metro Station Naming Rights Initiative, which continues to create opportunities for companies to associate their brands with key locations along the city’s Red and Green Lines.
With the Garmin agreement running for 10 years, the station’s new identity will be progressively incorporated into the transport network’s physical and digital passenger experience through the end of November and beyond.