Motorists and commuters navigating the Red Line will soon encounter a familiar technology name at one of its stops. ONPASSIVE Metro Station is set to become Garmin Metro Station following a naming rights arrangement that will run for ten years, secured through AMIT Retail LLC, the company that serves as Garmin’s sole distributor across the UAE.
The company, known for its GPS navigation products and smart wearable devices, joins a lineup of brands that have attached their names to stops along both the Red and Green Lines. The wider program, run by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, dates back to 2009 and lets businesses build visibility across the metro network.
Clifton Pemble, Garmin’s CEO, framed the tie-up around the brand’s core mission. “We are proud to collaborate with RTA and our valued distributor AMIT Retail to help people move through the world with greater confidence, connection and purpose,” he said, noting the company hopes to expand the relationship and find new ways to back customers’ fitness, wellbeing, and daily pursuits.
The paperwork was formalized between AMIT Retail and Hypermedia, with Mada Media present as the body overseeing Dubai’s out-of-home advertising space. Mada Media administers naming rights deals through its concession arrangement with the RTA, while Hypermedia handles the initiative under Mada’s supervision.
For AMIT Retail, the agreement carries particular weight. Abdul Aziz Abdulla, the firm’s group managing director, called it a milestone that deepens the company’s push to place technology brands within reach of communities across the country. He tied the deal to promoting more active lifestyles and to AMIT’s ongoing investment in Dubai’s vision of a connected, smart city.
Abdul Mohsen Kalbat, who leads the RTA’s Rail Agency, pointed to Garmin’s involvement as evidence the program can draw prominent names from a range of industries. He said such partnerships bolster cooperation between the public and private sectors, pull investment toward transport assets, raise their economic worth, and feed into the Dubai Economic Agenda, or D33.
Habib Wehbi, chairman and group CEO of Hypermedia, offered a broader take on why the format works. “The most valuable media is no longer something people simply see. It is something they experience as part of their everyday lives,” he said, describing the arrangement as a template for extracting lasting value from public infrastructure and as a sign of international confidence in Dubai’s investment climate.
Welcoming Garmin to the roster of Red Line partners, Mada Media CEO Mansoor Al Sabahi said stations woven into people’s routine travel give companies a direct line to both residents and visitors.
Practically, the switch will not happen overnight. The RTA plans to roll out the new name across directional signage inside and outside the station, digital platforms, and transit apps between September and the close of November 2026, with onboard audio announcements revised to match. Riders are encouraged to take note of the change and to approach station staff if they need help while the transition is underway.
Beyond signage, naming rights extend a brand’s reach into station maps, announcements, smart applications, and navigation tools, and open the door to pairing that exposure with promotions and community-focused efforts.
